E ha
by Cokie316
Summary: He sighed and looked into the mirror, seeing red-rimmed eyes staring back at him from a too-pale face. You look like shit. 'Yeah', the mirror mocked him. 'So do you'.
1. Chapter 1

_**OK, I am not firing on all cylinders today, I can truthfully tell you that. Somehow I ended up with pink eye and got sent home from work today, which I thought would be fun and I thought I would have time to 'play'. Not so... when you can't see the computer screen, it is difficult to type.**_

_**And... I posted earlier today and forgot to thank some very special people. I rely on four wonderful ladies to read and review my work. This time, I decided to begin posting this week, so I only sent this out to two of them, Sockie1000 and Sym64, but they went above and beyond the call of duty. They have read, re-read, picked and tweeked this to make it the story it is today. Oh, tinker... sockie just LOVES to tinker. But I appreciate both of them very much. Also, thanks to Sym, the title changed for the final story. I really didn't forget you ladies, I just posted too quickly. :) **_

_**'E ha **_

_**By Cokie**_

_**Chapter 1 **_

_**Wednesday, 0600 hours**_

The obnoxious buzzing in his ear needed to go away.

Immediately.

Steve grabbed a pillow and slapped it against the side of his head hoping to drown out the sound.

Didn't help.

He was on his stomach, face down in a pillow and finally rose up enough to squint, checking out the room. When his eyes spied the clock, he realized the sound was coming from the alarm and the red numbers on the readout proclaimed it was 6:00 a.m.

The arm holding onto the pillow reached over and slapped the top of the offending clock, subduing it into silence. Then he face planted into the soft pillow, wondering why the alarm had even gone off.

Six a.m. He always kept the alarm set, but automatically shut it off every morning when his internal clock woke him at 0530.

Huh. He always wakes up at five thirty. Every morning. It's burned into his brain. Unless it was a morning when Catherine shared the bed with him. On those occasions even the internal clock was shut off.

But unfortunately in the last couple of years, those nights had been few and far between.

Steve laid there, eyes still closed, knowing he had to get up. Normally, he would roll out of bed, grab his trunks and head downstairs. He would open the refrigerator and reach for his juice mix, drinking it while heading outside. Then he would dive into the ocean and swim for half an hour. And if he had time, he would get in a short run, otherwise he would grab a shower and head to work.

This morning, all he wanted to do was lay in bed with his eyes closed and let sleep return. He was floating, on the verge of deeper sleep when the buzzing began again.

Damn.

His arm stretched out and he slapped at the alarm once again, this time only opening one eye and not even raising his head from the comfort of his pillow. The readout proclaimed it was 6:09, flashing off and then on. Off. On. Off. He continued to squint at the numbers, idly wondering why they always set the snooze for nine minutes. Why not ten? What's so special about nine? And who made up the rule?

At 6:18, his arm automatically slapped at the offensive noise, and he shut it off without even looking. His arm then just hung off the side of the bed, his hand resting on the floor.

The buzz was back. He dragged up his arm and swatted at his ear. Maybe a bee got in. _Go 'way._

The sound got louder. _Is that the smoke alarm? Hope Danny's not cooking. _

The constant noise was really grating on his nerves and finally he pushed aside the pillow and rolled onto his back, blinking blearily at the ceiling. He wiped his hand across his eyes and turned his head to stare at the flashing, buzzing alarm, which proclaimed it to be 6:54.

_Not possible._

With a sigh, Steve sat up and blinked when the room rolled and the floor threatened to come up and meet him. He slapped at the alarm and then turned the off button, ensuring that it would shut up. He planted both feet on the floor, placed his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands.

_What the heck did I drink last night?_

He stood and headed toward the bathroom. A few minutes later, the hot shower spray was peppering onto his head and shoulders and he finally realized he didn't even have a drink last night. They had worked late and he had come home and had fallen into bed a little after midnight. Without a single Long Board.

He turned off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist, and still dripping, went back to his bedroom for clothes. He heard a sound downstairs and then heard a voice shouting at him.

"Get a move on, McGarrett. What time zone are you on this morning?"

_Shit. Can't I even get dressed in peace?_

"Oh," Danny continued. "Coffee's ready."

Two minutes later, Steve stomped down the stairs and was met with a steaming cup of coffee, compliments of his partner. He took the cup and mumbled, "Thanks" and kept walking toward the kitchen after setting his phone and gun in the living room.

Danny followed. "Did you get in a good run this morning?"

"Somethin' like that," Steve mumbled, taking a sip of the coffee. He made a face at the bitter taste and set the cup on the counter next to the sink. He backtracked and opened the refrigerator, pulling out a jar of fresh pineapple juice. He reached for a glass and sloshed it half full and took a drink.

The taste was worse than the coffee and when he swallowed, the acid burned all the way down. He gagged and leaned over the sink as acidic, hot bile was forced back up past his lips. He leaned against the sink and coughed, turning on the water, washing it down the disposal.

Danny was quickly by his side. "Hey, you OK?"

Steve's eyes were shut tight and he still leaned over the sink, willing his stomach to settle. Finally he nodded, and replied, "Yeah. Just got choked on the juice."

"Are you sure? That seemed more than getting choked."

"I'm fine, Danny. Let's go."

"But…"

Steve was already in the living room, his voice sounding annoyed as he asked, "Are you coming?"

~~~H50~~~

Danny kept watch on Steve all day.

From a distance.

He had tried for conversation in the car on the way to work and when all he received where clipped, one-syllable answers, he shut up and stared out the window. They pulled into the lot and jerked to a stop in the parking space just as Chin and Kono were exiting their vehicles.

"Hey, guys," Kono called to them, meeting them on the sidewalk.

"Mornin'," Danny greeted her while waiting for Chin to join them before heading into the building.

Steve didn't even speak; he climbed from the driver's seat, slammed the door and made a bee-line into the building. When the others arrived, he was already in his office, seated behind his desk, staring at the computer screen.

"What's up with him?" Chin asked.

"Got me," Danny replied. "He's usually waiting on me when I pick him up. This morning he was still in the shower when I got there."

"Maybe he had a hot date last night," Kono said, grinning.

"Well, Catherine's an ocean away on the Enterprise, and I can't see him hooking up with anyone else."

"Me, either," Chin agreed. "But he'll come around. He always does."

Not always.

It seemed no one wanted to get close to their esteemed leader and gave wide berth around his office. Questions they had asked were answered with short, seemingly exasperated one or two word sentences.

Chin knocked on the closed door at noon. "Hey, Brah, I'm heading out to pick up 'aina awakea. What can I get you?"

Steve barely glanced up at him. "Not hungry, thanks. I'm good."

They bought him a turkey wrap anyway and Danny took it and tossed it on the desk.

"You need to eat."

Steve raised his eyes and looked at Danny over the top of his computer screen. "I think I'm capable of deciding when I will eat."

Danny's arms spread to his sides. "Hey, it might make you feel better. We'll try anything to get rid of Mr. Grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy," Steve groused. "And I'm also not hungry, so would you mind shutting the door… on your way out. I've got work to do."

If possible, Danny would have slammed the glass door. He went into the adjoining conference area and plopped down in a chair, scrubbing a hand over his face and neck.

"Any idea what's eating at him?" Chin asked.

"Nope. But he almost bit off my head, so I'm done. Let him sit there and stew all day for all I care."

"It's gotta be something," Kono told them. "Maybe he and Cath got into a fight."

Danny nodded. "That could be it. But I hope they work it out soon. I have to drive Mr. McGrump home tonight."

~~~H50~~~

_What the hell are you doing?_

Steve continued to stare at the computer. On it was a requisition form he had been working on all morning.

Although, in this instance, "working" was a generous word.

Mainly he sat and stared at it, trying to make sense of the text he was reading on the screen. The words blurred and when he squinted at them, his headache kicked up a notch or two. By blinking, he could bring everything back into focus, but he couldn't seem to concentrate on the form… or much of anything else.

_Focus, McGarrett. There's no reason to bite off Danny's head. Or anyone else's for that matter._

Steve glanced into the conference area where his teammates were laughing and eating their lunch. _Probably laughing at him._ He sighed and then stood, reaching for the wrap they had bought for him. He took a deep breath and opened his office door, heading to make amends with his team.

"Hey… sorry for being such an ass today," Steve told them quietly while leaning against the door frame.

Danny halted, with his sandwich half-way to his mouth. "So, you're just apologizing for one day?"

Kono pulled out the chair next to her. "Don't listen to him, Boss. Here, sit next to me."

"Thanks," Steve replied, dropping down into the chair.

"You feeling OK, Brah?" Chin asked.

Steve massaged his forehead with his thumb and forefinger, making a face before answering. "Got a headache, that's all. I'm OK." He then took a deep breath and sniffed, reaching for a napkin.

Kono left the room and returned with a bottle of water and the super-sized bottle of Tylenol. "Here you go. Take a couple of these before you eat."

He shook out three tablets from the bottle and tossed them into his mouth before twisting off the cap from the water. He then said, "Thanks" and unwrapped his sandwich, taking a bite. His stomach immediately rolled and he set down the wrap, waiting for the feeling to go away. He followed the conversation, making comments where appropriate, while picking at his food. After a couple of bites, the nauseous feeling disappeared and he managed to eat about half of it before tossing the rest into the trash. He sat at the table with his team, sipping on the remainder of his water.

Danny tossed his empty wrappers across the room, landing in the trash can. "Three points!"

"That's only two and you know it," Chin argued. "And besides, you barely banked it in."

"Hey, a basket's a basket. So, anything on the agenda this afternoon? Not that I'm trying to drum up business, but this paperwork is getting boring as hell."

Steve stood and stretched. "Maybe so, but you need to have your reports from the Hwang case to me later this afternoon. Once the paperwork is filed, maybe we can all make it an early day."

"Now that's what I like to hear, Boss," Kono said with a grin. "Want to go catch some waves with me? Might help clear your head."

Steve felt his stomach make another flop. "No, not today. Think I'll head home. But ask me next time."

"Sure thing, Brah."

He turned to head back to his office, but when his stomach flipped on him again, he quickly changed his route and headed to the restroom instead. He barely made it to the stall before his stomach churned and he lost the meager lunch he had just eaten. Once lunch was gone, it seemed his insides insisted on dredging up the remainder of everything he ate _yesterday. _And from the dry heaves, he wasn't positive that he wouldn't puke up a lung or a kidney next.

~~~H50~~~

Chin had his hand on the restroom door and pushed, only to hear the unmistakable sounds of someone getting sick inside. He had just left Danny arguing with Kono in the break room, so that only left Steve in the stall. He eased the door shut to give the man some privacy and not cause him embarrassment and made his way back to his office and waited, watching for McGarrett.

~~~H50~~~

Steve washed his hands and then cupped water into his hands to rinse his mouth. He spit the acrid taste from his mouth and cupped more water to splash on his face. _Must have picked up a bug someplace. Achy, runny nose, nausea. Crap._

He sighed and looked into the mirror, seeing red-rimmed eyes staring back at him from a too-pale face.

_You look like shit._

'Yeah', the mirror mocked him. 'So do you.'

~~~H50~~~

_**Thursday, 0530 hours**_

No need for the alarm this morning. He awoke as per normal although once he was upright, the headache began to nag in the background. Wearing his swim trunks, he walked down the steps, reaching out to grasp the banister when he nearly tripped on the bottom step.

_Klutz._

He opened the refrigerator and stared at the jug of juice, deciding against it when his stomach disapproved before he even reached for it. Instead, he reached for a bottle of water and then the bottle of Tylenol he kept on top of the fridge.

He downed the pain relievers and padded on bare feet outside, setting his water bottle on one of the chairs at the edge of the beach. Rubbing one hand over his eyes, he stared at the sky as the deep, darkness of night gave way to the purple hues of dawn. He blinked when the horizon seemed to tilt on him, but when he reopened his eyes, all was normal. He continued walking and waded out into the tepid water until it was near his waist before diving into a wave, preparing to swim his morning circuit.

As the water sluiced over him, a fiery pain began at the base of his skull and quickly spread like fingers blistering his brain, bringing with it an attack of vertigo. He lost his bearings and twisted in the water, trying to figure out which was up, and panicked, opening his mouth and taking in water. He fought against the pain and dizzy sensation while the current crashed against him, beating his body.

_McGarrett, snap out of it!_

Steve tried to hold his head together with both hands, feeling that it would fly apart unless he held tightly to it. He managed to calm himself and when he did, immediately righted and floated to the surface where he spluttered and coughed to get the salt water out of his system.

_What the heck was that? A tadpole panic attack? _

He tread water for a couple of minutes, getting both his bearings and his breath back. Then he began to swim slowly, parallel to land, trying to relax his body and clear his mind. He had swam in the ocean since before he could walk and never had experienced a feeling like that- not even when he was pushed into the water, hands and feet bound, for drown-proofing in BUD/S. As he swam, the intense pain subsided and was replaced by the now-familiar pounding in his head, which throbbed with each beat of his heart and every stroke of his arms.

He slowly swam what felt like several hundred yards before stopping to catch his breath and see how far he had come. He couldn't believe he was only at the far edge of his nearest neighbor's property. He normally would cover that distance in a few seconds, yet he felt as if he had been swimming forever. He pushed closer to shore then decided to swim back toward his property, keeping to the more shallow water. Once on his own section of beach, he dragged himself out of the water, walking on shaking legs to one of the chairs before collapsing into it. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, trying to make sense of the morning.

Before he could form a coherent thought, he was sound asleep.

~~~H50~~~

Steve woke an hour later with the sun shining in his eyes. He squinted and looked around, trying to concentrate on why he was on the beach. Raising his head he once again rode out a swell of pain that began at the back of his skull and blossomed through his head. Steve squeezed his eyes shut and with a groan, dropped his head back onto the chair, the resulting thunk not helping his headache whatsoever. When the worst of the attack ended, he blinked and stared at his watch, willing the hands to come into focus.

_Seven-twenty-five._

_Shit. Again._

Steve rolled out of the chair, stumbling down on one knee when the pain spiked once more. He grabbed the chair arm and dragged himself back up, waiting until the dizziness abated before moving back into the house. He would be surprised if Danny wasn't sitting in his kitchen, drinking his coffee.

_Wait. It was Thursday. Danny always picked up Grace and drove her to school on Thursdays._

He was on his own.

All he had to do was make it up the stairs and into the shower.

And then drive himself to work. With bleary eyesight and wonky legs.

Piece of cake.

He just couldn't wait for the weekend so he could get some decent rest. Steve told himself that was all he needed. And he truly believed it.

~~~H50~~~

_**Thursday, 1025 hours**_

Steve dragged himself up from his desk and reached for his empty coffee cup. The taste of the brew was lousy and made his stomach churn, but he needed the caffeine to stay awake. And he seemed to think the coffee had marginally helped his headache. His team members were in their offices and he felt the coast was clear. If he was quick, he could grab the coffee and be back at his desk before being accosted.

Again.

They wouldn't let up. The minute he had arrived this morning, all three of them trailed after him, asking what was wrong, why was he late, how did he feel, did he need anything?

Damn it, he was a grown man who had been taking care of himself for quite a few years. He didn't need to be mothered and he surely didn't want them breathing down his neck.

He opened his office door and purposely walked toward the break room, reaching for the coffee pot.

"Hey, Boss, let me make you another pot," Kono's voice spoke right behind him. "That one's pretty stale by now."

_Damn. She's like a cat. _

"It's fine."

"No, seriously, that's just the dregs. I'll make more."

"Kono, I said it was fine. I've got this." He turned to stare at her, thinking she would cower and walk away.

No such luck. He poured the coffee into his cup.

"You hungry? Want a snack?"

He closed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek. "No, I do not. Really, I can handle this." The mug was in his hand and he turned to leave the small room.

"Well, glad to know you didn't hire me for my coffee making skills."

He snorted and before he even had a chance to think about it, he opened his mouth to speak. "Yeah, well if this pot is any indication, it's a good thing I didn't."

She gave him a half grin. "Hey, you've never complained before."

"Yeah, well, maybe I should have. But don't worry, now that I hired you, you're safe. Won't have to go through life as a meter maid."

"WHAT did you say?" She turned and stared at him, a frown on her face and her hand on her hip.

Steve shrugged. "Come on, Kono, think about it. You probably made it into the academy so they could meet some gender or minority quota. After Chin's mess up, you don't think they would let you be a _real_ cop, do you? But there are always grunt jobs around… meter maid, or maybe they'd even let you direct traffic."

She ran her hand through her hair, pulling it up off her neck. "Am I hearing you correctly? Did you really say that I should be lucky that _**you**_ hired me because otherwise I would have no career?" Her voice continued to increase the longer she spoke.

He shrugged one shoulder once again. "Yeah, I guess I did. And if you would think about it, you would know it is true." He gave her a mock salute and said, "You can thank me later," before turning and walking back toward his office.

Less than a minute later, he was once again seated behind his desk and glanced up when Chin jerked open the door and stalked into the office.

"What the hell did you just say to her?" The normally mild-mannered officer's eyes were blazing with fury.

Steve took a slow drink of his coffee before setting the cup down. He then raised hooded eyes up to look at Chin.

"Just filled her in on the facts of life. Apparently she doesn't like the truth."

"And just what 'truth' is that?" Chin said through gritted teeth. "I've never seen her so angry at you."

Steve slightly shook his head. "I just pointed out that if it wasn't for me hiring her, she would be spending her days working HPD as a traffic cop or meter maid."

"What?" Chin shouted, his face a mixture of confusion and outrage. "You do remember she graduated second in her class, don't you?"

McGarrett scoffed at that. "Maybe so, but don't forget she's related to _**you**_. That quickly limited any job choices she may have had. But what's the big deal? I hired her. She's safe. And don't worry, Chin, so are you."

"Steve, where is all this garbage coming from? This isn't you talking."

"Sure sounds like me," Steve shot back. "And If I remember correctly, without me, you would probably still be busting the crime wave down on the wharf. Bet you just couldn't wait to get to work every morning!"

"OK, listen to me," Chin took a deep breath and continued, trying hard to restore his normally calm demeanor. "I don't know what's got into you, but you are way out of line. You need to step back and think for a moment, maybe talk to someone."

"A shrink?" Steve snorted. "I just spoke up and told the truth. That doesn't make me crazy, Chin. It makes me honest. And if you and Kono can't handle it, it's your problem, not mine."

"Ok, fine. No shrinks. But you say you have a headache. Maybe you need to get checked out by a doc—"

Steve quickly shoved his chair back and stood, grabbing onto the desk to keep from swaying. "OK, Chin, that's enough. You're in _**my**_ office on work time. I suggest you get out of here and actually get some work done and leave me alone. And you can stay out of my business."

Chin stared at him for almost a full minute before nodding. "Yeah, Steve, not to worry. I'll leave you alone. Trust me."

~~~H50~~~


	2. Chapter 2

_**'E ha **_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**Thursday, 1520 hours**_

Once again, the day had been long and taxing on everyone. Kono had stayed locked in her office until Chin pulled her out for lunch. All morning, Chin had watched her eyes throwing daggers in the direction of McGarrett's office and he knew he needed to get her out of there before she said or did something she might later regret. He also didn't relish the fact of deciding where to hide the body.

Unlike yesterday, no one invited Steve to eat with them today. Danny enjoyed the lunch Grace had packed for him while seated at his desk. He smiled when he pulled out the napkin with the note: "_I love you Dano"_ and a smiley face on it. And without McGarrett's sour face next to him, he truly enjoyed his lunch, knowing that it was made with love.

Steve had remained in his office, continuing to glare at his computer. Danny had no clue what he was doing because the man certainly wasn't typing… just staring. He had called it research. Yeah, right. The reports had been filed yesterday and they had no further cases. For all Danny knew, Steve was watching Ms. Pac Man eat her way across the screen.

After the eruption of Mt. Kono that morning, the afternoon had been uneventful. Danny had emailed Kono and had gotten her side of the story. He couldn't believe Steve had even said those things, but then, for some reason, the Steve they were seeing this week wasn't remotely recognizable. That fact was quickly reinforced for him. After getting the low-down from Kono, and after Chin had marched away from Steve's office, Danny had entered the bear's den, letting the door close behind him. He stood between the door and Steve's desk, watching as his partner 'concentrated' on the computer screen.

"So, what'cha working on?" he asked after Steve didn't even acknowledge his presence.

McGarrett stared at him.. "Stuff. Research." He lowered the top of his laptop and looked at Danny over it. "Do you need something?"

Danny crossed his arms over his chest. "Who, me? I don't guess I need anything other than an explanation of why you are acting like this. What was that crap with Kono, huh? Why would you EVER say something like that to her?"

"So, she went whining to you, too?"

"What? No, she didn't— Listen, Steve, we're really starting to worry. All of us. And we want to talk to you about it."

"If it doesn't pertain to our job, I don't see any reason for discussion. Maybe I'm tired of you people trying to live in my back pocket."

"What?" Danny's voice raised a couple of decibels.

"You heard me. Now, if you don't have anything work related, would you mind if I get back to _**my **_job?"

"Do you not hear yourself?" The glass walls may have cringed from the noise.

"Yeah, I do, Danny. But apparently you _don't_ hear me. Now please leave."

Danny wanted to pursue it, but knew that in the mood Steve was in, the man wasn't willing to listen to anything. So instead, Danny turned on his heel and stalked out of Steve's office, determined not to speak to him the rest of the day.

But by day's end, he knew he would have to face Steve again because earlier in the day, he had made a promise to his daughter. And Danny did not break a promise made to Grace Williams. He shut down his computer and stood, stretching to work out the kinks in his back. Grabbing his car keys, he pushed open his door and slowly walked over to Steve's office. He started to knock, then decided that was stupid, so he pulled open the glass door.

"Hey, I'm getting ready to leave," he began.

Steve didn't even look up. "OK, not a problem. Tomorrow."

"Well, you know I have Gracie tonight. And she asked me this morning to see if you would like to have dinner with us. She wants Italian." He was uncharacteristically hesitant, then continued quietly, "I told her I would ask."

Steve didn't reply for a moment, but looked at his partner and rolled his eyes. "Really?"

"Well, yeah, really. She wants you to have dinner with us. Do you have other plans?"

"No. No, I don't." Steve leaned back and drummed his fingers on the chair arm while rubbing his eyes with his other hand. "But I gotta say, Danny, you have your kid every other weekend and it always seems she's at my house for some portion of that time. I would kind of like the night off."

Danny was actually somewhat relieved because he really didn't want Grace around Steve when he was acting like this. But Steve's words dug at him a bit and as much as he wanted to let it go, he couldn't. "So, you're saying we come over too much?" he asked, raising his eyes and crossing his arms.

"Well, now that you mentioned it, yeah." Steve stopped rubbing his eyes and was a bit surprised when he looked up to see Danny biting his lower lip and rocking on his heels, visibly upset.

"I thought you liked having Grace over," Danny replied, his words measured as he tried to contain his anger. "She loves you, you know."

Steve sighed, loudly, exasperated. "Yeah, I know, Danny. But my house is not an amusement park or a Holiday Inn. I need some time to myself, too."

"That's what you think?" Danny replied, his voice rising with his eyebrows. "That we come over to be entertained? Or fed? Or housed?"

Steve shrugged. "Well, if the shoe fits…" his voice trailed off.

"You know what then? Fine!" Danny exploded, his arms flying in the air. "Silly me! I thought you actually liked my daughter! I won't make that mistake again. And don't worry, we won't come over any more and infringe on your 'alone time'!"

With that, Danny turned and marched out of the office, fuming, wishing not for the first time, that the glass door would actually _**slam**_ shut.

And Steve wasn't sorry he was gone.

~~~H50~~~

_**Friday, 0820 hours**_

No Steve. The team was leaning against the smart table, wondering what time he would show up today. And putting on their thinking caps trying to figure out what was wrong with their team leader.

"No matter what it is," Chin told them, "this isn't McGarrett talking. We've known him for too long to believe any of this garbage he is spouting. Something is definitely wrong."

"You know, after I took Grace home last night, I went to his house to talk to him," Danny told them. "The truck was in the drive and all the lights were out in the house. That was around 10 o'clock and once I got there, I realized I didn't even want to see him… let alone, _talk _to him. I was glad I had the excuse that he was asleep. I mean, he's my partner, and I didn't even want to look at his face. That's how badly he pissed me off yesterday."

"Yeah, I know that feeling," Kono agreed. "When he mentioned the words 'meter maid' I wanted to scratch his eyeballs out."

"Regardless," Chin brought them back on track. "We have to talk to him today. This morning when he gets in. Do you agree?"

"Yeah, Chin, we agree," Danny replied. "That is, _**if**_ he ever gets in."

The words had no sooner left his mouth when Steve pushed through the glass doors. "Hey, just got a call from the governor's office. HPD is rolling to a hostage situation at a day care. He wants us on site, so quit gossiping and let's move out."

~~~H50~~~

_**Friday, 1330 hours**_

Kono and Danny arrived back at the office first, the latter storming into his office before slamming his fist into the wooden beam between the panes of glass of his wall. Kono followed him and leaned her arms on his desk and waited until he finally let out a breath and dropped into his chair, his head in his hands.

"OK, Brah, you need to get a grip," she warned him.

"Get a-. You want _**me**_ to get a grip? Kono, did you not _**see**_ what he did out there? You think that is all right?" Danny slammed the chair backward and began to pace, rubbing his sore knuckles with the fingers of his other hand. "I swear I'm gonna kill him. He's out of control."

"Danny, that's not the answer. We have got to make him get help. Something is way wrong. I swear, yesterday I was ready to kill him, but I realize now that wasn't Steve talking. And you know it, too." She leaned in closer to him. "Danny, he needs help. And we need to make him see that."

"Yeah, well good luck with that." Danny shook his head. "It's gonna take a while for me to forgive him after yesterday. The only way I went to the crime scene with him this morning was because he grabbed my car keys right out of my hand when we ran out the door."

"Before we left the day care, he didn't know what to do when you jerked the car keys out of his hand and handed them to Chin. And when you said you were riding with me, he was really shocked."

"Let me tell you, there is no way I'm letting him drive my car when he's this crazy. And there is no way I could have remained with him in the confined space of the car to drive him back here.I swear I don't know what's wrong, but this has got to stop.**"**

Steve and Chin walked through the glass doors in time to hear Danny's last words and Steve made a beeline to Danny's office. "Damn right it's gonna stop. What was that, Danny? Are you pouting because things didn't go the way you wanted so you snatched your car keys and ran away?"

"Me? You moron, you're lucky you weren't arrested!"

Kono stepped sideways and managed to get around Steve and out the door, rolling her eyes at Chin in the process.

"Why would I be arrested? Huh?" Steve asked, throwing his arms up in the air. "I got the bad guy and saved the hostages. End of story. The only one with a problem is you." He stared down at his partner, adding, "Because I'm pretty sure those parents were all glad I did what I did."

"Steve… you took on a man holding 18 hostages… 18 _babies and toddlers_ in a day care." Danny's hands sliced through the air, trying to bring home his point. "And he had not one, but two grenades. And what did you do? You charged him. Like a freakin' idiot, you plowed right into him!"

"OK, first, only one grenade had the pin pulled. I knew I could take him. Second, he was a disgruntled father who just lost custody of his kid, so I can see why you would side with—"

"Side with?" Danny scrunched up his face in disbelief. "You think I would side with a man who is planning on blowing up himself, his kid, and a bunch of other little kids in the process? You really are a moron! And _**what were you thinking?"**_ he yelled.

"What was I thinking?" Steve retorted, his own voice rising to match Danny's. "I'll tell you what I was thinking… that I was going to save some kids. Which, by the way, is what I did."

Steve stood still, hands on his hips with his jaw set, glaring and looking utterly unrepentant.

Danny closed his eyes and ran his hands over his hair in frustration. Yelling was getting him nowhere. He blew out a deep breath before opening his eyes and switching tactics. "Steven, you can't do that," he reasoned, as calmly as he could. "Who knows what the fallout is going to be on this? The press couldn't wait to get the news footage back to their stations, so everyone will see it. Oh, and I'm sure the governor… you know, your _boss_ has heard all about it. I'm actually surprised he hasn't called yet. And I have no doubt that right on his heels, IA will be knocking at the door."

Steve stared at Danny for a minute and then began to chuckle. "That's it. I get it now." He rocked back on his heels and crossed his arms. "You can't stand it, can you? That I saved all those kids without you."

"Steven! Listen to yourself." Danny slapped one fist into the palm of his other hand, punctuating his words. "This. Is. Not. Like. You." Spreading his arms out, he pleaded, "What is going on?"

"Nothing is going on, Danny. How many times are you going to ask me that question? I'm doing my job. Which, apparently, you don't think I can do." He turned and stood in the doorway, looking at Chin and Kono who were observing from the relative safety of the bullpen. "How about you two? Come on, do you agree with him? Am I not doing my job? Huh?" he shouted, waiting for an answer.

Chin shrugged and tried a tactical approach. "Well, Steve you really haven't acted like yourself this week."

"Yeah? Well, maybe this _**is**_ me," he argued, pointing his thumb into his chest. "But you know what? Screw this. If you guys think you can do it all, go ahead." He stormed into his office and grabbed the truck keys off his desk before coming back out into the hallway where Danny was now leaning against the door jamb. "Have at it, Danny. The job is yours." He stepped into Danny's personal space and yelled, "I. Don't. Want. It. Anymore." He opened his arms wide, indicating the entire office, as he backed towards the glass doors leading into the 5-0 headquarters. "Take it all. The office, the decisions, the governor. And for that matter, why don't you tell him I said 'shove it'." He paused and looked at his team before taking a breath.

"Because I'm done."

With that final remark, he turned and stormed out, leaving the glass door swinging in his wake.

Three solemn faces stared at his retreating back.

Chin blew out a long breath. "Anyone want to tell me what that was?"

"A full-blown tantrum?" Danny speculated.

"Guys, we have got to do something," Kono told them, pulling her hair back from her face. "We have to find out what's wrong with him. I know it will make him even angrier, but it has to be done."

Danny turned and went back into his office, pacing again. "Damn it, Kono, what do you think we've been trying to do? The man is falling apart right in front of us and won't tell us why."

"Then we have to _**make**_ him talk to us."

"Cuz, remember who you're talking about."

"I don't care," she continued. "We have to make him talk."

"Yeah, I know." Danny leaned on his desk and dropped his head to his chest. He took a deep breath, and then looked at his teammates. "I… I've just never seen him so lost and out of control. I mean, even during all that mess with Jameson last year, he wasn't this unglued. And I don't know what to do. But…" He sighed, then straightened his shoulders in determination. "I'll go find him and talk to him. I may have to handcuff him to the chair first so he doesn't leave, but I'll at least make him listen to me."

Chin shook his head. "No, Brah. We'll all go. We're in this together."

"Yeah," Kono agreed.

"Thanks," Danny said. "Let's go meet the bear in his den."

"You think he went home?" Kono asked.

"Let's go find out," Chin answered.

~~~H50~~~

By the time Steve reached his truck, his hands were shaking so hard, he couldn't get the key into the ignition. Aggravated at his lack of control, he banged his fist on the steering wheel, willing himself to calm down. Tears of frustration sprang into his eyes and he had no clue where they came from. He wiped his eyes and then swiped his hand under his drippy nose.

_Great. __Gonna need some cold capsules._

Steve placed both hands on the wheel, simply trying to control his breathing. He was dizzy and nauseous and his head was aching unmercifully and he just wanted it all to stop.

His team... they wanted to help. He _**knew**_ that. But he refused to believe there was anything wrong. He was tired. His head hurt. So what? Why couldn't people just leave him alone? All he needed was sleep and he would be fine. This was nothing. He _**would **_be fine.

He would go home and this weekend, he could sleep as long as he wanted. Or maybe he would get up in the morning and go for a run. That would help clear his head and his sinuses. _Yeah, that was a good plan. Sleep and then a run. He could do this._

With renewed resolve, he tried the key again, fitting it into the ignition on the first try. Steve grinned at the benefits of his interpersonal pep talk. Blinking away the dizziness, he pulled out of the lot and into traffic.

~~~H50~~~

Thirty minutes later, the Camaro, Kono's red Cruise and Chin's Harley pulled into Steve's driveway with Danny purposely blocking the truck's path, ensuring that Steve couldn't drive away.

The front door was standing wide open; another testament that Steve wasn't thinking straight. They walked into the house, listening for sounds from upstairs. Hearing nothing, they continued on toward the back of the house. The double doors were open and they found their friend standing on the back walk, staring out toward the ocean. The trio moved out onto the lanai and Danny turned to Chin and Kono, making a face, not sure what to say. It seemed Steve hadn't even heard them and even though they hadn't spoken, they weren't trying to sneak up on him.

But it was as if they weren't even there.

Danny walked across the yard, careful not to invade Steve's personal space. When he stopped next to his partner, he saw that his eyes were closed. Steve was breathing through his open mouth, taking in gulps of air. Finally, he reached his hands up to his head, pressing his palms into his temples, squeezing his eyes more tightly shut.

"Hey."

At the one word, Steve's arms dropped and he opened his eyes to stare at his friend, a look of annoyance on his face.

"What the hell do you want?"

Danny spoke quietly, trying not to say anything controversial. "I- uh, I just want to talk, Steve. Please."

"Talk. Really? So, what is it now? You don't think I can do my job... now are you going to voice your opinion on how I should act at home? Tell me, Danny, what am I doing wrong? In _**your**_ opinion, what should I be doing? Come on, tell me. I know you want to."

"No, really, nothing like that. Come on, Steve," he pleaded. "Can we just sit down for a minute and talk?" He pointed toward the lanai where Chin and Kono remained.

"I don't want to talk," Steve told him. "But if you don't mind, I would like you to leave." He glanced around to include the others. "All of you."

Danny stood his ground. "Not going to happen, Partner. We have got to talk about this."

Steve had reached the end of what he considered reasonable. "About what? Can't you understand that I don't want to talk to you?" He walked a few steps away, turning his back on Danny. "Just leave me the hell alone."

"Steve, please." Danny's voice was low and he reached his hand out and touched Steve's arm, trying to get him to look at him.

At the touch, Steve whipped around, his fist in the air, ready to hit his partner in the jaw, but his stance was off. He corrected his balance to remain upright, but missed Danny's head by several inches.

"Hey!" Chin was off the lanai in a flash, ready to stop what could quickly become an ugly brawl. The last thing they needed was to add injuries to insults.

Danny easily ducked the wayward fist and grabbed both of Steve's wrists, holding them tight. "Damn it, Steve, stop it." He pushed against the taller man, wanting to talk him down.

Instead of fighting, Steve stepped back, trying to keep his balance. Then suddenly, his eyes rolled back into his head and his body went lax.

"Chin!" Danny shouted in surprise, calling for help as he stumbled, struggling with Steve's dead weight and trying to keep him from going down.

"Steve!" Chin rushed forward, trying to break his friend's fall. But before he could reach him, Steve crumbled to the ground, pulling Danny down with him. Chin dropped to his knees beside Steve and quickly felt for a pulse as Danny released Steve's wrists.

"Kono!" Danny shouted, before glancing over his shoulder to see her right behind him. "9-1-1. Now!"

He then scrambled up to kneel on the opposite side of his partner as Chin shifted his focus to Steve's head, gently pulling back first one eyelid and then the other to take a look. He frowned and quickly removed his hand, allowing Steve's eyelid to close.

Chin and Danny exchanged a brief, concerned look over Steve's limp body before staring at their unconscious friend, wondering what had just happened… and why they didn't know it was coming.

~~~H50~~~


	3. Chapter 3

_**OK, I had lots of guesses as to what is wrong with Steve. Some were very close... others were pretty wild. :) I have to say that no one came up with the precise cause of Steve's problem, so please read on...  
**_

_**'Eha **_

_**Chapter 3**_

_**Queens Medical Center**_

_**Friday, 1525 hours**_

Danny was seated in the waiting room at Queens, chewing on his thumb nail, staring into space. He had spent the last several minutes replaying the events from the past few days over and over in his head. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out how everything had gone south so quickly.

"Family of McGarrett?" a nurse wearing scrubs called out after opening one of the double swing doors of the emergency room.

"Here!" Danny jumped up from his seat and moved quickly toward where she was standing, Chin and Kono keeping pace with him.

"The doctor asked for family."

"And you've got us," Danny told her, not willing to take 'no' for an answer.

She saw the glint of steel in his eye. "Dr. Makani would like to see you." She pushed the door open further, speaking over her shoulder, "Please follow me."

She walked down the busy hallway before stopping at the open doorway of a glass-enclosed cubicle on the right. "Doctor, I have Commander McGarrett's… family."

"Good." A young Hawaiian doctor with spiky hair and wire-rimmed glasses glanced up from his patient and said, "Be right with you. I'm still trying to get him awake."

The doctor had his elbow on the bed, holding onto Steve's hand as if they were ready to arm wrestle. "Commander, can you hear me? If you can, squeeze my hand. Come on, you can do it." After a few quiet moments, he continued, "That's it. Good," and laid the hand back down across Steve's chest. "Commander, can you tell me your name?"

He got no response, so he continued to talk while lifting up one eyelid and shining his penlight. He then repeated with the other eye, again receiving no response from the man on the gurney. "Commander, can you hear me?" He looked over at the group standing in the doorway. "I've got the EMTs' report, but can you fill me in on details? All they said was that he passed out and fell."

"No, sorry," Danny replied and shrugged. "He's… not been himself this week, but we had no idea… We don't know. That's essentially what happened."

The doctor straightened himself and tucked the penlight into his pocket. "He might respond better to a friendly voice," he explained. "Would one of you come talk to him? We need to get him awake. I thought I had him for a minute, but he's out again."

Danny glanced at Chin and Kono and they both urged him forward, so he moved to the other side of the ER bed. He circled his fingers around his partner's wrist, suddenly unsure what to say. The doc wanted "friendly" and the first thought that came to mind began with "Hey, Moron." He didn't think the doctor would be too appreciative of that. He licked his lips and then said, "Hey. Steven, it's time to wake up."

No response.

Danny looked closely at the pale face and dark circles beneath Steve's eyes. _Has he looked this bad and we didn't even notice?_ he asked himself. _How did this even happen?_

The doctor bent his index finger and pressed the knuckle deep into Steve's breastbone. The action elicited a groan from his patient and a grimace of pain from Danny.

"Commander!" The doctor shouted the word before continuing in a quieter voice. "If you can hear me, I need you to tell me your name."

Steve's tongue darted out, trying to lick his lips. He swallowed and the doctor continued, "Come on, you can do it. What's your name?"

Makani still didn't receive a response and turned back to Danny. "Try again. See if you can get his attention."

Danny placed his other hand on Steve's shoulder and gave it a small shake. "Come on, you moron, talk to the doctor," Danny began to badger. "He wants to know your name and I know you know it."

"Sss."

"That's good, spit it out," Danny continued. "You can do it."

"Sst… St…eve."

"Good job," the doctor said. "Can you tell me your last name? Commander, it's time to wake up. Work with me. What's your last name?"

"Ma… Mc… Get."

The doctor sighed and grinned. "For the time being, I'll take it." He then looked at Danny. "Have you noticed any signs of stuttering this week?"

Danny looked back at Chin and Kono. "Guys?" They both shook their head, so he replied, "I don't think so." Danny turned back to the doctor. "Why?"

"Maybe nothing, but the slight stutter could mean something. He's got me stumped and I'm trying to put together all the symptoms I'm seeing. There's no physical evidence of a concussion and you say he hasn't hit his head, right?"

"Not recently," Danny replied. "At least not that we know of."

"OK," the doctor nodded and turned back to his patient. "Steve, can you open your eyes?"

"Steve?" Danny also tried. "Come on, can you hear me?"

"Y… yeah."

"Can you open your eyes?"

"S… sure."

"Then do it, goof," Danny prodded, grinning at his partner.

The doctor reached for the bed controls and raised the head of the bed to a 45 degree angle. Before he could ask Steve to open his eyes again, his patient groaned and reached up his hand to hold his head.

"Stop it."

Makani removed Steve's hand and found pain-filled eyes blinking back tears. "Head… headache," Steve managed to say through gritted teeth while squeezing his eyes shut again.

Makani held Steve's head in his hands. "OK, look at me for just a second. That's all." After a moment, Steve complied and he said, "Good," and told him he could close his eyes again.

Steve sniffed and the doctor tilted his chin upward to look at his nose. "Keri, give me a 1 ml syringe, please."

"Yes, Doctor," the nurse replied, unwrapping the cellophane on the syringe and handing it to him.

"Steve, you still with me?" His patient didn't reply, so he asked Danny to continue to talk to him.

"Hey, Steven. You awake?"

"Uh… yeah," he mumbled.

"Good," Makani told him. "Steve, I'm going to touch the inside of your nose. Try to stay still." As he placed the syringe just inside his nose, he suctioned, while continuing to talk. "That's good, Steve. Tell me, does your head hurt more when you are sitting up?"

"Steve," Danny squeezed his arm again when there was no response.

"Hurts… more."

The doctor handed the now-capped syringe to the nurse. "Get that to the lab ASAP." He turned back to his patient. "OK, I'm going to lay the bed back down." Once Steve was flat, the doctor asked, "Tell me if your headache gets better."

After a few moments, he answered, "Yeah." Steve voluntarily opened his eyes and looked at the doctor. "A lot…better."

"OK, we may be getting somewhere. Steve, do you remember hitting your head this week? Or falling?"

"N…ope. Jus' tired." His eyes slid shut once again.

"It's OK to close your eyes and rest for now. I'm going to send you for some tests while I talk to your friends and when the tests are done, we'll give you something for the pain. Do you understand?"

"'K."

Makani then turned to another nurse and began rapidly firing off orders. "Full CT and MRI. Tell them I said put a rush on it and don't let Radiology tell you they are backed up. Call me if you have any problems, and then get him into ICU as quickly as you can. And have all the results sent to me."

"Yes, Doctor." She unfolded the sheet that had been shoved down to Steve's waist and covered him to his shoulders before releasing the brake on the ER bed and pushing it out the door. Danny gave his arm one last squeeze before the bed rolled away.

Chin and Kono parted to allow the bed to pass, each not taking their eyes off their leader. As the gurney passed, Kono reached out her hand and touched Steve's, whispering, "a hui hou, Boss."

And then they watched, in silence, as he was wheeled into the elevator.

"OK, let's move to the consult room over here," the doctor quickly told them. "I'm Dr. Makani, the ER attending. Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier."

They followed him. "Danny Williams," Danny held out his hand to the doctor. "This is Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua."

"Yes, I must say I've heard a lot about all of you and the governor's task force. You've done a lot of good in the last couple of years. And let's face it, you've garnered a lot of press. Now… what can you tell me about McGarrett? I've got the write-up from the EMTs, but this doesn't tell me anything. Any idea what caused him to lose consciousness?"

Danny shrugged and held out both hands, palms up. Shaking his head, he stared at the doctor. "We honestly don't know. He's been… off… for a couple of days, but he said he had a headache. Today," he paused and took a deep breath, "we planned to talk to him… really _**make**_ him talk to us, but before that happened, he got mad, took a swing at me and then he just dropped like a box of rocks."

"Hmmm." He drummed his fingers on his iPad. "I've read about some of your cases in the paper… has he been injured at all recently?"

"Not this week," Chin assured him. "We've had one of the slowest weeks we have had in two years."

"Any chance he was poisoned or has taken drugs?"

"Like Chin said," Danny replied with a rueful grin. "Not this week. We finished a case on Tuesday, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. We didn't even draw our weapons."

"We did have a case this morning," Chin added, then shook his head. "… that I'm sure you'll see on the news. Steve charged and tackled a guy holding two live grenades, but he wasn't hurt and didn't hit his head when they went down. But Steve really hasn't been himself since at least Wednesday."

"During the examination I noticed scars that looked fairly recent," the doctor continued, making notes on his pad. "What can you tell me about them?"

"About four months ago, Steve was kidnapped and… beaten," Danny answered.

"Tortured," Chin whispered. "He was tortured."

The doctor looked up at them in surprise. "Yeah, that," Danny agreed.

Makani pursed his lips. "The circle marks on his chest and stomach? Burns?"

Chin nodded, then supplied, "Cattle prod."

The doctor winced in sympathy while he made another note. "What other injuries were noted at the time? Any concussion? And in which hospital was he a patient? I need those records." He continued to write and rattle off questions at the same time.

Danny looked at his friends, then back to the doctor. "The situation was… sensitive. Steve was treated in… another country, and when we got him back here, he wasn't seen in the hospital."

"Dr. Makani," Chin began. "My wife is Dr. Malia Waincroft and she treated Steve at home.* He did have a concussion along with several other injuries. I can ask her to meet with you if that will help."

The doctor quit writing and looked up at Chin. "So you're the man who put the smile on Malia's face," he said with a wink and a grin. "And she tells everyone her name is now Dr. Kelly, so you might want to remember that. If you can't tell, we're good friends; I can give her a call."

Kono poked Chin in the ribs with her elbow. "Yeah, Cuz, get the name right." She turned back to the doctor. "What do you think is wrong with Steve?"

The doctor slowly shook his head. "I sent blood and urine samples off for tox screens to see if anything turns up, but I'm guessing we won't find anything there. The tests they are running downstairs may pinpoint a definitive cause. But the fluid in his nose. Any idea when that started?"

"I noticed it Wednesday at lunch," Kono replied. "This can't be caused from a cold, can it?"

"No, my guess… and at this point, it is just speculation, but he may be leaking cerebrospinal fluid."

"What?" Danny jerked his head up to stare at the doctor. "That's… isn't that dangerous?"

"It can be extremely dangerous," Makani agreed. "Fill me in on all the symptoms he has exhibited this week."

"Moody," Danny began. "Irritable, argumentative… about everything… he complained of a headache—"

Chin added, "He threw up lunch on Wednesday. I think Wednesday was the first I noticed he didn't seem 'normal'."

"Yeah," Danny remembered. "I picked him up Wednesday morning and usually he is waiting for me when I get there. That day, he was running late. And I didn't think about it at the time, but he drank some juice before we left and he threw that up, too."

"So, headache, nausea, irritability?" the doctor wrote in his pad.

"Thursday was worse," Kono added. "I think he nearly bit each of our heads off. And that isn't like Steve at all."

"So, are you saying that the symptoms have been escalating?"

They all three nodded, Danny adding, "Absolutely. And today… well, he came very close to really botching a case that could have had very tragic results. Steve can be rash on good days, but he's always in control. This morning," he shook his head, "he was like a wild man."

"OK, this all fits. Concussion along with a CSF leak would cause all the symptoms you listed. And more."

"But, Doctor," Chin asked, "Steve would know if he hit his head. He's a Navy SEAL and he knows the signs of concussion. He kept insisting there was nothing wrong."

"With a leak of this nature, one of the major symptoms is delusional thinking. Pressure on the brain is altered and it can cause extreme changes. The patient generally doesn't discern any change in his or her attitude or health. But, if you don't mind, can I ask why you didn't try to find out what was wrong?"

Danny snorted. "We've been watching him for three days and trying to figure out what's wrong. But he refused to talk. And trust me, Doc, he can be one stubborn SOB when he wants to be."

"Dr. Makani, we went to his house this afternoon to confront him… and this time we weren't going to leave without finding out what was wrong," Chin explained. "But he tried to deck Danny and then just collapsed. And that's what brought us here."

Makani flipped his pad shut and stood. "Thank you. We'll get to the bottom of this. And I'll keep you posted. If you can think of anything else, please let me know immediately. We may have this figured out, and the tests will confirm the diagnosis, but it would be good if you can find out if anything actually happened to him. That might help with the treatment."

"Thank you." Danny voiced for all of them. "We'll work on it."

"If he doesn't remember and you weren't witness to it, how do you plan to do that?" the doctor asked.

Kono grinned at him. "They don't call us detectives for nothing."

The doctor nodded. "Let me know what you figure out."

"You'll let us know when we can see him?" Kono asked.

"Yes, of course. If you want, you can go up to the third floor to the ICU waiting room. I'll meet you there after I get the results. And just so you know, I'm on ER rotation this month, but I plan to continue handling this case. My specialty is neuroscience and this case has me baffled. I want to follow it through."

~~~H50~~~


	4. Chapter 4

_**'E ha **_

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Queens Medical Center**_

_**Friday, 1835 hours**_

Nearly three hours and several cups of stale coffee later, they were still sitting and waiting. The ICU waiting room was a subdued place as people came and went, checking on loved ones during the scant minutes every hour the patients could have visitors. The team members had taken up residence in a corner, sitting on a love seat and matching chair; fully functional pieces of furniture, but about as comfortable as bleachers in the ball park.

"Wonder if Steve is back from the tests yet?" Kono asked, stretching her shoulders and neck.

"Hope so," Danny replied. "I just wish the doctor would get here."

"Yeah. He told them he wanted results STAT," Chin complained. "What constitutes STAT around this place?"

"Chin Ho Kelly, you need to be patient," his wife said, walking into the room and stepping into his hug as he quickly stood up.

"Have you heard anything?" he asked after giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

She smiled and rubbed a touch of lipstick away from his mouth. "I just talked to Don. He should be up here soon."

"Can you give us a hint?" Danny asked her, standing to work the kinks out of his own back.

"Patience, Detective," Dr. Makani said from the doorway of the waiting area. "If you would like to follow me, I think we would be more comfortable down the hall." He turned and walked down the hallway, confident they would all follow. As they entered the conference room, Malia closed the door and took a seat next to Chin.

"Before we begin," Malia told them, "I want you all to know that Dr. Makani is the best Neuro we've got here. Steve is very lucky that Don was the attending when he was brought in."

"Thanks for the endorsement, Malia." Makani grinned at her then quickly got down to business. "OK, got the results back," he began and laid out some papers on the conference table, looking them over once again. "After talking to Malia and checking these results, it appears the commander may have a concussion secondary to the one he received in Korea." He glanced up at the group. "Yes, she filled me in on everything. And it is considered privileged information, so don't worry, my lips are sealed."

Malia held up her hand and looked at them, saying, "I felt, for Steve's sake, that it was necessary."

Danny nodded, motioning for the doctor to continue.

"The fluid we cultured from his nose did come back positive as cerebrospinal fluid, which indicates he does have a leak somewhere along his spinal column. That, in addition to the concussion, has caused his mood swings and irritability over the last few days."

"How can you fix him?" Danny asked bluntly.

"Well, we're going to do a couple of things," Dr. Makani replied. "First, the commander needs to lie nearly flat in bed. The headaches associated with this condition are much worse when the patient is upright. And in many cases, bed rest alone allows the leak to close on its own. He'll also have IV fluids and we'll give him caffeinated drinks as well. Some studies show that caffeine helps with this type of headache."

"Then that's good news, right?" Danny asked.

"Yes, of course. But the tricky part is that we need to learn where the leak is located. For that, I plan to perform a lumbar puncture in the morning and insert dye into the CSF so we can track it on a scan. We will know more once we learn the location of the leak."

"So, with rest, he should return to himself?" Kono asked.

"I hope that is the case. In some instances, the leak has to be plugged, but if need be, we'll deal with that later."

Malia joined the conversation. "Chin said that Steve has not been acting like himself?" She looked at Danny and Kono for confirmation. "I want to assure you that with an injury like this, he has not been in control of his mental faculties. A leak of this nature can have disastrous effects."

Danny shook his head and replied, "Malia, Steve hasn't been… well, Steve for the last few days."

"And I can understand why." She pointed to the documents on the table. "Hopefully Don and I can explain this to you."

"Yes, of course," Makani continued, and held up a photo showing a brain inside the skull. With his pen, he pointed at the diagram. "This is a perfectly positioned brain. Notice this layer of cerebrospinal fluid around it which cushions the brain from injury and allows the brain to sort of float inside the skull. The same fluid extends down the spinal column." He set down the diagram and picked up a color scan. "This is Commander McGarrett's scan from an hour ago. Notice that while you can still see a thin layer of fluid around the brain, there isn't as much cushion. See how the base of the brain itself has dropped down in this area?"

Malia continued the explanation while he pointed to the scan. "The fluid is leaking out and while our bodies continually produce it, a leak of any kind isn't good. Some is leaking from his nostril, which Don discovered in the ER. If that isn't stopped, it can lead to a very dangerous infection. When Steve sits or stands, gravity pulls the fluid _**and**_ his brain downward, causing the excruciating headaches. You need to understand that most people with CSF headaches are so debilitated that they can't even function. For him to be upright and even coherent says a lot about his stamina and willpower."

"Is it wrong to wish he was a little less coherent?" Danny asked with a sheepish smile.

The group chuckled. "Probably not," Makani agreed.

"So, the test tomorrow," Kono asked, "Is it dangerous?"

"No, not really," Makani replied. "There is minimal risk as in any procedure, but I believe the test is necessary. The dye will be injected early morning and then we'll run the test and repeat it at six hours and again after twelve hours."

"How is he doing?" Chin asked. "You took him to ICU, right?"

Malia nodded. "The nurses are continually waking him for neurological checks and while he is very sluggish and incoherent, he finally responds to them."

"We tried getting him awake at 15 minute intervals, but found it took almost that long for him to respond. So for the next couple of hours, I want him awakened every half hour," Dr. Makani told them. "After that, we will go to hourly checks for four hours tonight. But I have a job for you, if you can help."

"Anything," Kono replied.

"He may respond better to you than the nurses, so if one of you could stay with him, at least for a while, it might help ground him when he does wake up."

"We can stay in ICU?" Danny asked.

Makani nodded. "You will find that I tend to do what is best for my patients, not what is dictated by hospital protocol."

Danny grinned and replied, "I think you and Steve would get along splendidly. And I'll stay the night. Although from here I had planned to go to his house to see if there were any clues as to what happened to him."

"You don't have to do it all, Danny," Kono told him. "I'll stay for a while and you can go to Steve's. Hopefully you can figure something out over there."

"And I can spell you later," Chin told them.

Kono grinned at her cousin. "How about right now, since we are here, you take 'Dr. Kelly' to dinner?"

Chin grinned at Malia. "If she's agreeable, I could do that. But, if possible, I would like to see Steve before I go."

"I can take you before we eat," Malia assured him. "But I need to stay nearby, so our special 'date' will have to be cafeteria food."

"Malia, any date with you is special," he told her with a grin and a chorus of "awws" from the group, which made both Malia _**and**_ Chin blush.

"Before you leave, can I ask a question?" Kono asked the doctors after they finished laughing at Chin's cheesy comeback.

"Certainly," Dr. Makani replied. "Ask anything."

She blew out her breath and tried to choose her words. "Well, the last conversation I had with Steve wasn't very… positive. He said some things and I really didn't handle it very well. My question is, will he remember that and if so, how do I deal with it?"

"Good question. Was he belligerent, mean, cruel, what?"

"Um, yeah," she admitted. "Pretty much all of that. He said if he hadn't hired me that my only career would have been meter maid or traffic cop."

"Ouch."

"Doctor, what I want to know is if that is how he really feels?"

Makani held up both hands to stop her. "No. Please believe me when I say that I'm sure that isn't the case. Let me see if I can explain. And Malia, jump in anytime."

"Well, before you begin," Malia spoke, "I've only known Commander McGarrett for a few months, but it is obvious how much he values and respects each one of you. When he talks about his team, it is with nothing but pride." She reached over and put her hand on Kono's arm and squeezed it. "Kono, please don't believe those words he said. He is a very sick man right now. Much sicker than he really looks."

"But those words had to come from somewhere," Kono quietly spoke again.

"I agree with Malia," Makani said, nodding his head. "Think about this. Consider our brains as computers. You spill something in your hard drive and the motherboard is fried. While the computer won't work correctly, it may still operate to some extent. But you would probably get garbage from it. That's what happens to the brain with leaks such as this. It begins to shut down slowly and the information isn't computing in a rational manner.

"For instance, I saw one woman who had been in a car accident and was leaking CSF. She was a 70 year old granny and when she woke up, she started cussing like a sailor. She was using words that her family swore she never even knew before. And some people are afflicted so badly that they can only speak in gibberish or what I call 'word salad'; real words come out, but in an order that means nothing."

"I have one for you," Malia told them. "Several years ago, a young mom lost CSF after having an epidural during childbirth. About three weeks later, she was acting strange and her husband thought she had post-partum depression and took her out for a nice dinner to cheer her up. She went to the bathroom at the restaurant and came out wearing only her high heels… without a stitch of clothing. These patients have no boundaries, no knowledge of right from wrong…"

Makani picked up, "No inhibitions, no conscience. They feel invincible and have thoughts of grandeur, but on the other hand, they are paranoid and suffer from delusional thinking."

"Honestly, I think we've seen all of that in the last couple of days," Danny admitted.

"I'll take a stab at an explanation for your friend… and this is only my opinion," Makani offered. "The commander has been feeling continually worse, but he can't or won't step back and acknowledge that fact. He tells himself that he's fine, or that this will pass, but he won't admit that something is wrong. If you brought it up, I'm sure he went on the defensive, right?"

"Big time," Chin agreed. "Whenever we asked, he insisted that nothing was wrong."

"He is hurting, so he is going to subconsciously lash out and try to hurt everyone else. Not physically, thankfully, but with words. He wanted you to feel as badly as he does. Not—" he hastened to add, "because he wants to. But because his computer is scrambled right now and what he really wants to convey is jumbled up inside his brain. And what is most unfortunate is that he doesn't even realize any of it."

"Will he remember the conversation we had?" Kono asked.

The doctor sighed and shrugged one shoulder. "That's something I can't answer. Possibly once the fluid reaches a moderate level, his memory may return. Then again, he may never remember anything of this whole episode. There have been patients, after they recuperated, who have had no recollection of the days or weeks before the accident. The brain is such a complex organ that we are continually learning something new about it almost every day."

"Thank you, Doctor," Chin told him. "We appreciate your candor."

"Any time," he told them, beginning to gather his documents. "I will check on him tonight and I plan to schedule the puncture around six in the morning. So, I'll see you later. And thank you, Malia for your help."

"Glad to help," she replied. "Chin, if you want to see Steve, we can go now."

"Good. Danny, I'll talk to you later. In fact, I'll meet you at Steve's after we eat. Two sets of eyes may be better than one."

Danny nodded. "Sounds good. Hey, Doc, one more question."

"Certainly," he turned from the doorway.

"Um, how long do you think it will be before his attitude changes?"

"It may take a few days, so don't be surprised if he's cantankerous for a while. It will take time to build up the fluid to a more normal level."

The team grinned as Danny replied, "Cantankerous doesn't begin to cover it, Doc. But as long as there is light at the end of the tunnel, we can manage."

~~~H50~~~

_**Queens Medical Center ICU**_

_**2000 hours **_

Danny entered the ICU to find Kono and a nurse leaning over the bed, talking to Steve. Kono looked up at him and smiled.

"Hey, Danny. This is hard work, Brah. He really doesn't want to wake up."

The nurse glanced up and added, "You have a very stubborn friend."

"Tell me about it," Danny agreed. He stepped next to Kono and grabbed Steve's hand. "Yo, McGarrett, wake up," he called to him. "Come on, open those eyes." He turned to Kono and asked, "Does he talk to you when he wakes?"

"Yeah, he can answer questions. He's not the most pleasant person, I'll tell you that."

"And that's different… how?" he asked with a grin.

She elbowed him in the ribs. "That's mean," she said. "Especially when he can't defend himself."

Danny traded places with Kono and leaned over the bed. "Then, Steven, you'll just have to wake up, won't you? Hey! McGarrett! Up and at 'em."

"Hunnnhh?"

"Well… wonders never cease," Danny muttered. "Come on, wakey, wakey."

The nurse leaned over him from the other side of the bed. "Son, can you tell me your name?"

Steve frowned, "You-you keep askin' me that…" he paused and licked his lips, then continued. "wr-write it down."

The nurse smiled at her patient. "I'll do that. But first you need to open your eyes."

He gave them a put-upon sigh but eventually got his eyes open, blinking in the dim light above the bed.

"One more time," she asked. "What's your name?"

"Steve."

"Good. Do you have a middle name?"

"Yeah."

Danny huffed and shook his head. "She wants you to tell her what it is."

Steve rolled his head on the pillow and stared at his partner, blinking as his vision focused. "Dan-?"

"Hey, partner. So tell the nice nurse what your middle name is."

"Um… J-John."

"That's good," she said. "Do you know where you are?"

He turned to look at her and started to raise his head off the pillow before she quickly put her hand on his forehead. "Lay still, you can't raise your head. Remember?"

"Hmm?"

"Keep your head on the pillow." She glanced up at Danny and said, "You need to make sure he stays like this. He can move his head from side to side as long as he doesn't raise it."

"Got it."

She turned back to her patient. "OK, Steve, one more time. Do you know where you are?"

"Hospital. W-why?"

"You hurt your head, so you need to rest and take care of yourself."

The eyes slowly closed. "'K." He breathed the sound, asleep before he finished speaking.

Another nurse entered the room. "Hey, Joan. Looks like Mr. McGarrett is my patient for the night."

Joan turned and smiled at her relief. "Hi, Kari. He just fell back asleep, but let me tell you, he's a stubborn one. You've got another check at 8:30 and thereafter you can just wake him hourly for four hours. He's scheduled for lumbar puncture at 6 a.m."

Kari turned to Kono and Danny. "I understand someone will stay with him tonight?"

"Me," Danny replied, and held out his hand. "Danny Williams and this is Kono Kalakaua."

Kari accepted Danny's hand while looking at the two of them. "Hey, Kono, didn't you graduate from Kokui?"

"Yeah, hi, Kari. I think I was the year ahead of you."

"Good to see you again. Are you…" She pointed to Steve and then Kono.

"Oh, no," Kono replied. "He's my boss."

"Got it. Let me go through his chart and then I'll be back to check him over," Kari told them as she and Joan prepared to leave the room.

"Kono, why don't you get out of here, too," Danny told her. "You've got to be hungry. I grabbed something earlier."

"You want to go get coffee or something before I leave?"

"Nah, I'm good for now. Chin and I just had a cup before I came over here."

"Did you find anything at the house?" she asked.

Danny blew out his breath and shook his head. "Nada. But honestly, if something happened last weekend or Monday or Tuesday, what would we find now? We checked outside, thinking maybe he fell or something, but there's no sign of anything. The truck isn't damaged so we ruled out a fender-bender." He ran his hand through his hair. "We really have no clue. Chin and I did start writing down the things we remembered that have been out of the ordinary, but we didn't remember anything out of character until Wednesday. How about you?"

She shook her head. "Me, either. Tuesday everything was fine… or so I thought. I don't even remember if he said what he did last weekend."

"He said he spent six frustrating hours working on the Marquis on Sunday," Danny told her. "We checked the garage and didn't find anything out of the ordinary in there. Except that honkin-big metal death trap that he likes to call a car." Danny turned to stare at his sleeping partner. "Maybe he can tell us when his head gets normal again."

"Yeah, Brah, I sure hope so." She hugged Danny and then reached over the bed rail and squeezed Steve's hand. "Good luck getting him awake. It takes a while."

"Want me to smack him around a bit?"

She laughed. "Yeah, you try that. And tomorrow I'll count how many broken fingers you have."

~~~H50~~~


	5. Chapter 5

_**No, it isn't Monday, but I finished writing this story, yay! so I have decided to post twice a week instead of once. You should see updates on Mondays and Thursdays with a total of eleven chapters. Once again, thanks to Sockie1000 and Sym64 for their diligent beta work. And thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews. I received several reviews signed as 'Guest', so I have to thank you here. I appreciate that you like the story enough to write a review. Mahalo.  
**_

_**'E ha **_

_**Chapter 5**_

_**Queens Medical Center ICU**_

_**2030 hours**_

Kari entered the room carrying her iPad and Steve's chart and stopped on the opposite side of the bed from where Danny was seated. He looked up from scrolling through his phone messages and stood.

"Time to wake up Sleeping Beauty?" he asked.

"In a moment," she replied. "Let me get his vitals first." She set down the chart and pulled out a blank form, filling in the time at the top of the page. She first checked his pulse and oxygen sats recorded from the clamp on his finger, then reached for his wrist, double checking his pulse the 'old-fashioned' way. Once completed, she rolled a thermometer across his forehead, checking the reading on it then recorded his blood pressure from the cuff.

"Temp is slightly elevated," she mumbled, then glanced at Danny. "But that is a symptom of a drop in CSF. Nothing to worry about."

She put away her equipment and then leaned over her patient. "I understand he's tired of being asked his name," she said, grinning at Danny from across the bed.

"Yeah, he told the other nurse to write it down," he said with a grin.

"The chart says he has been rather belligerent these past few days."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, unlike his normal obstinate self, this week has been pretty bad."

"That will pass," she told him. "I promise. I've seen cases like this before and it's amazing what the proper rest and care will do. Once the leak closes and his body can make enough fluid to replenish it, he'll be back to normal. " She turned back to Steve and laid her hand on his forehead.

"All right, Steve, can you hear me? We're talking about you. It's time to wake up." She glanced at Danny and added, "You please talk to him, too."

"Steven, up and at 'em."

"He goes by Steven instead of Steve?" Kari asked.

"Nah, only when I want to annoy him," Danny replied. "As in 'Steven, open up those blue eyes and give me your glare o'death'."

They got a groan out of him.

"That's good, Steve, come on, wake up." She reached for his hand. "Steve, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

It took a moment, but she finally felt his fingers curve around hers. "Good job. Now, open your eyes."

He rolled his head on the pillow. "Hurts," he mumbled.

"What hurts? Talk to me."

"Mmm?"

"Come on, I want you to wake up and talk to me. What hurts?"

"He-head hurts."

"I bet it does. It's time to give you something for pain, but I need for you to wake up first. Can you do that?"

"Steve, open your eyes," Danny told him.

"Dan…?"

"Yeah, it's me, Buddy. Open your eyes and see for yourself."

Steve rolled his head to the side, searching out Danny's voice, and then slowly opened his eyes, blinking in the light.

"Hey," Danny said, smiling down at him.

Steve squinted his eyes. "Hey."

Danny pointed to Kari. "Got a new nurse," he told him as Steve turned to look at her.

"Hi, my name's Kari. Got to ask you a couple questions, OK?"

Steve nodded, licked his lips, as his eyes slid closed once again.

"No, stay awake for me," she told him, lightly patting his cheek. "Keep your eyes open. Do you know where you are?"

He opened his eyes and glanced around, attempting to raise his head.

Kari quickly placed her hand on his forehead once again. "Don't lift your head. You need to remember to keep your head on the pillow, OK? Now, do you know where you are?"

"Hospital. But… why?"

"You hurt your head, but you're getting better. Can you remember what year this is?"

He thought for a moment, then replied, "2012."

"Good." She took both his hands in hers and asked him to squeeze again. "Good job. I'm going to give you something for your headache now. And we'll leave you alone for about an hour, OK? When you wake up next time I bet you'll feel better." She inserted the pain meds into his IV before preparing to leave.

Her patient's eyes had already closed and he was sound asleep.

**Nurse's Notes**

**8:30 p.m.**

**Vitals within normal range. Temp up slightly to 100.1. Sluggish upon awakening; complained of headache. Recognized friend; replied correctly when asked where he was and what year it was but didn't remember why he was in hospital. Remained awake less than 2 minutes. Gave Fentanyl 50 mg IV.**

Kari completed typing her notes into the iPad and then gathered her supplies and left the room. Danny remained where he stood, staring down at his sleeping partner, thinking how quickly things can happen and how badly things can go wrong. Somewhere, somehow, some_**thing**_ happened to Steve, and Danny was clueless. This was his partner… it was his job to know what had happened. And he had no idea where to start.

And he didn't like that feeling at all.

Danny reached down and circled his fingers around his partner's wrist. "Steve, I know you can't hear me, so we'll have this talk again later, but I need to get this off my chest. I'm sorry I thought you were being such a jerk. Even if you blew off your symptoms as a headache, we… no, _**I**_ should have realized something was wrong. And I didn't. Instead, I yelled and ranted and made you mad. If I had been paying attention, I would have known that wasn't *you* talking. But… it took you dropping at my feet to make me realize something was really wrong." He patted Steve's arm and finished. "So, I'm sorry. And I know you won't want to talk later, but trust me, we will. You just have to get better first."

He slowly blew out a breath and sat back down in the chair placed next to the bed. As hospital chairs go, it wasn't too bad, and actually reclined. He kicked it back and got comfortable, knowing he had about an hour to kill before the next time they needed to badger his partner.

Kari returned at 9:30 to find Danny dozing in the chair, but when she moved to the bed, he awoke and quickly joined her.

"Any change?" he asked when she completed her quick exam.

She was making notes on her pad. "Not really. Let's see how quickly he wakes this time. Commander, it's time to wake up."

"Steven, wake up."

"What?" Steve grumbled, turning his head toward Danny's voice.

"Open your eyes."

"No. 'M'tired."

"Commander, just for a moment. Wake up."

He blinked, and then closed his eyes again before opening to half mast. "Who are you?"

She smiled. "My name is Kari and we met about an hour ago. And don't hate me, but I need to check your pupils," she warned him before touching his eyelid to open it further and shining a penlight in his eye."

"Stop it!" he tried to move away but her grip was steady.

"Hold still and I'll be done." She quickly checked the other eye before standing back up and dropping the light into her pocket. "There. Done. Now, do you remember where you are?"

Steve got comfortable on the pillow before mumbling, "Hospital."

"And do you know why you're here?"

"My head hurts."

She didn't know if that was a statement of fact or if that was his reasoning for being in the hospital, but she accepted it. "Can you tell me your birthday?"

He thought for a moment, and then replied, "M'grenade had salt on it."

She made a face, concerned over those nonsense words, but then she heard Danny's laugh.

"Yeah, it did," Danny explained. "It was a joke," he told her. "Steve, when's your birthday?"

They got no response, so Kari shook his shoulder. "Steve, wake up. Tell me when your birthday is."

He sighed and snorted before finally saying, "March…ten. No-no… more cake," he said, sadly.

"Sorry, I don't have any cake, either," she told him with an indulgent smile.

**9:30 p.m.**

**Vitals remain normal other than temp of 100.2. Answered questions with prompting; fell asleep before completion of assessment.**

And the night continued…

**10:30 p.m.**

**Patient difficult to awake. While vitals are within range, temp has increased to 101.0. Took five minutes of badgering before getting a response. Remembered year but questioned where he was even though he knew he was in hospital at two earlier assessments. Bathed with cool water and will awaken again in one-half hour instead of the scheduled hour.**

**11:00 p.m.**

**BP is 100/60 and temp now 101.4. Bathed face and neck before attempting to wake. Awoke sluggish and refused to open eyes although he answered name when asked. Ignored further questions. Feel it was not that he didn't remember; he simply didn't want to be bothered. Continued to try a cool down and will wake again in one-half hour.**

**11:30 p.m.**

**Patient awoke quickly, although grumpily. Fever has dropped to 100.8 and he was more cognizant of surroundings. Became restless and wanted to get up. Had to keep one hand on his forehead and the other on his shoulder to keep him down in bed. Asked why he was in hospital before being prompted by any questions. Told me head hurt, but can't recollect any reason for it to do so. Remained awake approximately 5 minutes before falling back into a restless sleep. **

Danny scooted his chair closer to the bed and placed his hand on Steve's arm through the bed rail. Steve was restless and couldn't stay still. Finally Danny stood, leaning against the rail, his hand on Steve's shoulder while trying to calm him.

Kari checked back after a few minutes, also concerned about her patient. "Is he sleeping?"

"Yeah, but not well," Danny replied, his tone worried. "He's kind of doing these little grunts of pain when he moves. But it seems like he can't stay still."

She checked the monitors above the bed and decided, "I'm going to top off the pain meds. If he's in pain, he can't rest. Be right back." She returned, emptied the contents of the syringe into the IV and watched as her patient relaxed.

"Thank you," Danny told her, squeezing his partner's shoulder before settling back down in the chair.

"Not a problem," she replied. "I'll be back at 12:30. Hopefully he'll be feeling better."

**12:30 p.m.**

**Fever remains at 100.8 and patient awoke easily although groggy from pain meds. When asked where he was, replied 'same place I was the last time you asked'. Refused to answer any more questions and told us to 'leave him alone' in no uncertain terms. As long as vitals remain constant, will allow patient to sleep until morning. Lumbar puncture scheduled at 0600 hours.**

*In my story, Kalepa, a tag to Episode 2.10, Malia saw Steve once he arrived back in Hawaii from Korea.


	6. Chapter 6

_**'E ha**_

_**Chapter 6**_

_**Queens Medical Center ICU**_

_**Saturday, 0500 hours**_

**12:30 p.m.**

**Fever remains at 100.8 and patient awoke easily. When asked where he was, replied 'same place I was the last time you asked'. Refused to answer any more questions and told us to 'leave him alone' in no uncertain terms. As long as vitals remain constant, will allow patient to sleep until morning. Lumbar puncture scheduled at 0600 hours.**

**~~~H50~~~  
**

"What the hell?"

Danny awoke upon hearing Steve's angry voice and he quickly pushed the lower part of his Lazy Boy down and jumped out of it. Steve was propped up on his elbows in the bed, a murderous expression on his face.

"Whoa, there, Steve. You need to lie down," Danny told him while pushing the call button for the nurse's assistance.

"I don't think so," his partner replied. "Why the hell am I here?"

"Commander," Kari spoke as she came through the door. "It's good to see that you woke on your own." She quickly moved toward the bed, continuing to speak in a calm voice. "But remember… you need to lay flat, so let's get you—"

"I'm not lying down, so get off me!"

"Steve—" Danny began before being interrupted.

"Danny, want to tell me why I'm here? How'd you manage this?"

"Manage? What are you talking about?"

"Gentlemen, enough!"

They both looked at the petite nurse who had a mighty loud voice when she wanted to be heard.

"Thank you. Now, Commander, I'm going to insist that you lie back down until Dr. Makani arrives." She placed her left hand beneath his neck and with her right, grasped his right wrist and tugged, forcing the elbow to lift off the bed. His left elbow slid from beneath him and he had no choice but to allow her to lower his head back to the pillow, wincing at the pain in his head.

"Now, that's better," she told him with a smile. "Remember you need to lay flat."

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked, glancing from the nurse to Danny. "I don't need to be here and I don't want to lie down."

"Well, then, we'll let Dr. Makani explain that to you. It's five a.m. and you're scheduled for six, so I'm sure he'll be here very soon."

"Well, when whoever-he-is comes, tell him to bring the forms because I'm signing out of here," Steve adamantly told her. "I don't know what you think is going on at six, but it's not happening because I'm leaving."

"Steve, just calm down for a minute and—"

"I don't _**need**_ to calm down, Danny. Just get me my clothes."

"Ah, Commander, I see that you are awake… and very vocal this morning." Dr. Makani walked into the room carrying Steve's chart. "I'm Don Makani, but I'm going to assume you don't remember me."

"No, I don't. And if you're the doctor, you can either sign me out of here or get out of my way, because one way or the other, I'm leaving."

The doctor chose to ignore the rant. He turned to Kari and murmured, "Get me 0.8 mg diazepam IV," before turning back to his obstinate patient. "How does your head feel?"

"Doesn't matter. I'm still leaving. It hurts, but I can deal with that."

"No, honestly you really can't deal with it. Do you remember passing out yesterday?"

Steve looked at Danny and saw his partner's affirmative nod.

"No… but… I'm fine now, so," Steve shoved back the sheet and scooted up on one elbow, this time managing to push himself into a sitting position. He had to pause as dizziness assaulted him and he squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them to stare at the doctor. "So, you can get out of my way."

"Then let me explain it," the doctor began. "And your partner can fill you in with details as needed."

Kari returned with a syringe and went around the side of the bed while Danny moved back to give her access to her patient. She glanced at Makani and waited for his instructions.

The doctor continued his conversation with Steve. "Before we do anything else, I'd like to give you something to help reduce your pain and anxiety."

Steve jerked the arm with the IV out of Kari's reach and glared at her like she was holding snake venom in the syringe. "I don't think so. You're not gonna knock me out."

"No one is knocking you out," the doctor assured him. "But I need you to calm down and listen to me. And the drug is SOP before the lumbar puncture, so you would have had it in a few minutes anyway. Now please lay back down."

"No." Steve defiantly stared him down and the doctor sighed.

"Fine. Tell me how your head feels—"

"I already told—"

"I know. Just listen to me. How does it feel now that you are sitting up? Please just cooperate with me."

Steve blew out his breath and started to lean back, but the bed was almost flat and he refused to lie down. "It still hurts."

"Any worse than before?" Makani prodded.

"Yeah, maybe a little." He pinched the bridge of his nose with the arm that had the IV. Makani noticed the muscles in his right arm begin to quiver in the effort of holding himself up.

"OK, I want you to lie down. Now. I'll explain everything to you, but you need to be horizontal."

"I don't want to be 'horizontal' as you call it. I want my pants!"

Steve sniffed and glanced around for a tissue. "You don't even have Kleenex in this place?"

Kari took a couple Kleenex from the bedside stand and handed them to him as he finally acquiesced and began to lie back down, holding the tissue to his nose.

"Thank you," Makani told him while Danny breathed a sigh of relief. "Look around – notice you are in ICU. That's because, even though you don't realize it, you are very ill."

"I've just been tired. I'll be-"

"No, tiredness is one of the symptoms, not the problem. You have a concussion, and in addition to that, the drip from your nose is cerebrospinal fluid which is leaking from your spinal column. We need to perform a lumbar puncture to ascertain the location of the leak."

"You're saying I sprung a leak?" Steve's face was a combination of disbelief and surprise at the news.

Makani chuckled. "Well, to sum it up, yes."

Steve turned his head to stare at him. "Really, I think I would know if that happened."

"Your team said you had a head injury about four months ago. This is possibly related to that, although I would think it is more recent. Have you hit your head or fallen in the past week or so?"

"No. And my headache is getting better, so I'm not having any kind of test. Now, if you would get me those papers, I want to leave."

"I can't let you do that."

"Well, you can't stop me," Steve countered, his voice steely.

"Come on, Steve," Danny began. "Let the Doc—"

"Danny," Steve turned his head toward his partner. "Since I don't remember getting here, I'm assuming you had a part in it. And I know I didn't agree to being admitted."

"No, because you were unconscious at the time!" Both of Danny's arms were flying through the air, adding punctuation to his comment.

"Steve," the doctor began again, "these last few days, you have exhibited memory loss, headaches, mood swings, uncharacteristic behavior and other symptoms." He opened the chart and pulled out the color picture of Steve's brain. "See here, this thin wall of fluid is leaking out and is causing your brain to short circuit. With rest, everything should be fine, but you need to stay here under supervision."

"No."

"Steve!" Danny pleaded, willing his partner to listen to the doctor.

Makani closed the file and lowered the railing on the side of the bed. "All right, I'll make a deal with you. If you can get up and walk across the floor, you can leave."

"Fine." Steve pushed aside the sheet once again.

"Doc," Danny muttered, shaking his head. "He'll do it to spite you."

"If he does, then he can leave," Makani said with a shrug and a 'so-be-it' attitude. "Kari, please unhook the commander's IV from the port."

Steve sat up and waited until she had removed the tubing from the needle in his arm and then swung his legs over the side of the bed. He gripped the bed with both hands, his eyes tightly closed once again as his vision swam and the room tilted.

Makani stepped back to give him some space as Steve slid to the edge of the bed, allowing his feet to touch the floor. He blinked, trying to bring his vision back into focus and had to reach a hand to his nose when fluid began escaping once again.

"Kleenex."

Kari passed another tissue to Steve and he wiped his nose and then stood up, gripping the bedside table. He swayed but managed to stay upright while Dr. Makani stood three feet in front of him, watching the emotions play across Steve's face while his color turned ashen.

He had yet to take a step when the doctor quietly asked, "Ready to lie back down?"

Steve took a painful breath, and whispered, "Shit," when Makani stepped forward and eased him back to the side of the bed. He helped him lie back down and Steve laid there, eyes closed, body shaking at the effort it had taken to stand.

Kari reattached the IV tubing and then wet a cloth in cold water, wiping down Steve's face and neck. He lay there, struggling for composure.

Dr. Makani spoke quietly. "I'm going to guess that you felt like your head was being squeezed by a vice. Am I correct?"

As much as he hated to admit it, he finally replied. "Yeah."

"Can we give you something to help with it?"

"I don't like… yeah, just don't knock me out. Please?"

Makani motioned for Kari to insert the drug into Steve's IV. "I swear it won't knock you out, but it will help. Has the pain been that bad before today?"

"I-uh… yeah, sort of. I went swimming on… Thursday, I think. I dove in and thought my head would explode."

Makani nodded. "I'm sure." He then explained, "We're going to take you down for a lumbar puncture and insert a radioactive dye into your spinal column. Once that is done, we'll perform a test called a cisternogram where we follow the route of the dye to see where it is leaking. You'll glow green, by the way," he added with a grin. Continuing, he explained, "At that point, we will decide our course of action. I'm sure you noticed how your headache spiked when you were upright. Your body is continually making fluid, but since yours is leaking, you aren't producing enough to keep your brain cushioned. When you sit or stand, the lack of cushion causes your brain to drop, causing the headaches. So, until further notice, I want your head on that pillow."

Without opening his eyes, Steve asked, "How long?"

"A couple of days. I'll know more after the tests today. And while I know you don't want to go through this," he glanced at his watch, "they're scheduled to come and get you in about twenty minutes. Do we have your permission to continue?"

"Just for a test, nothing else. Right?"

"I swear. Testing only. After that, we'll go over the course of action."

Steve sighed, raising one hand to rub his forehead. "Yeah, I guess."

"That's good to hear. Danny you can stay with him until he goes downstairs. And check with the desk outside – he'll go to a room in Neuro afterwards."

"Thanks, Doc," Danny told him as he left. Steve kept his eyes closed and Danny didn't speak, sitting back down in the chair, pushing both hands through his hair while letting out his breath.

"Danny?"

"Yeah? Sorry, thought you were asleep."

"How did I get here?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Steve opened his eyes and blearily looked at his friend. "I've been lying here, trying to figure that out. And honestly, I don't even know what's real and what's not. I remember going for a swim and my head nearly exploded."

"You said that was Thursday? Do you remember any of Friday?" _Please say no. _

Steve rolled his head on the pillow. "Don't think so. What day is this?"

"Early Saturday morning. You passed out in your back yard yesterday afternoon and you've been unconscious since then. They ran some tests and got you into the ICU last night. We had to wake you up every hour for a while to make sure you were OK. And let me tell you, getting you awake wasn't easy!"

"You've… been here all night?" Steve's words were getting harder to form and he frowned at the difficulty he was having.

"Yeah. Kono stayed for a while and then I came in."

Kari returned and interrupted their conversation. "Commander, we're going to get you prepped for your tests now. Danny, you'll need to say goodbye for a while."

Danny nodded and stood and gripped his partner's shoulder. "Steven, be nice and don't cause any problems. I'll see you later."

"I can feel th'joy juice," Steve told them. "Doubt I can cause much trouble."

"Ah, famous last words," Danny said, walking toward the door.

"Commander, first order of business is that you need to use the bathroom."

Steve glanced around. "Where is it?"

"This container right here," she told him.

Danny chuckled as he left the room, raising one hand in the air to wave. "Remember… no trouble, Partner."

~~~H50~~~

_**Queens Medical Center Neuroscience Wing**_

_**Saturday, 0750 hours**_

Almost two hours later, Danny along with Chin and Kono stepped off the elevator onto the fifth floor, searching for room 520 in the Neuroscience Wing. The cousins had met Danny in the coffee shop for breakfast and he had filled them in on the night's activities. They waited outside the room after seeing a nurse hovering over the bed in the dimly-lit room. When she exited, she saw them and smiled.

"You can go in now, but don't stay long. He needs to sleep."

"Yes, ma'am," Kono replied for them. "How's he doing?"

"The procedure went well. They will take him back down for another set of scans in about six hours. Dr. Makani will be up here shortly to talk with him."

"Thank you," Chin told her as they walked into the room. The trio filed in, not saying anything as they entered, not wanting to wake their friend.

"Have any of you had that… torture done?" Steve asked, raising both arms and laying his palms flat on his face, eyes still closed.

"Not me," Danny answered, moving closer.

"Me, either, Boss," Kono whispered, moving to the other side of the bed, followed by Chin. "Was it bad?"

"First they flipped me on my stomach and velcroed me to the table before they numbed my back. Then they," he had to pause in his tale and take a deep breath, "stuffed a wad of gauze up my nose and made me twist into the shape of a pretzel ."

"Pretzel, huh?" Danny asked.

"Damn right. The curly kind. And they held my neck and legs so I couldn't move. "Then he used a syringe the size of a bicycle pump and shoved it in my spine."

"That's not true," Makani spoke from the doorway. "The syringe is more the size of a turkey baster. And it was a small piece of gauze, but the rest of the description was fairly accurate. Sorry."

"You should be," Steve mumbled.

"We've got our answers," the doctor told them. "Steve, would you like your team to leave while we talk?"

Steve removed his hand and opened his eyes, blinking to clear his vision. "It's that bad?"

"No, of course not," the doctor quickly replied. "I didn't know if you wanted privacy."

"Say it once, Doc and get it over with."

"How's your headache?"

"Don't ask."

"But I am asking. On a scale from one to ten – how does it feel?"

"Right now… you need to adjust your scale to include fourteen."

The doctor stepped to the pump that regulated the bags of IVs dripping into Steve's system. "I'll up those meds a bit, so hang tight, it should get better soon. Any nausea?"

"Yeah. A little."

He completed the task, and then pushed the button for a nurse, making a note in the chart before speaking again. "OK, the leak is at the base of the skull, which really makes me concerned if you haven't injured yourself recently. If this has been going on for the last four months after the last concussion, you're lucky not to have a serious infection. We did take some fluid for testing, but it looks good. I doubt the culture will grow anything. You'll have another scan this afternoon."

Steve groaned. "Not again."

"Not the pretzel part - just more pictures to see if the leak is closing. We'll also check it again in the morning.

Steve motioned to the IV above his head. "And this will fix it?"

"Treatment is doing just what you are doing… laying flat and getting rest. After a few hours, we can raise the head of the bed slightly, but other than drinking plenty of fluids, this is the course of therapy. At least for the next couple of days."

The nurse came into the room and Makani asked that Phenergan be added to the IV for nausea. He looked at the four of them. "Any of you have any questions?"

"So rest will take care of it?" Danny asked.

"We hope. If the headaches don't go away there is a proce—"

"No more procedures."

The doctor grinned. "Let's hope not."

The nurse returned and injected more medication into the IV and the doctor gathered his chart and pad. "Now, Steve, I want you to sleep." He looked at the others and added, "I think he can do that better if he's left alone for a while. We're taking him back down for another scan around noon, so why don't you check back in around one-thirty or two?"

"Are you OK with that, Steven?" Danny asked.

"Hmm?" Steve opened his eyes and blinked up at his partner. "Sorry."

"We're going to leave so you can get some sleep." He grinned at the sleepy expression on Steve's face. "Which, I don't think will be a problem. Do you need anything?"

"Don't guess so… wait… can I… do I hav'ta wear this gown?"

"I would prefer you to wear something," the doctor replied with a grin, "although I'll check with my nurses."

Steve tried to scowl when the others laughed, but the effect was ruined when he yawned in mid-scowl. "Danny, bring me some sleep pants."

Dr. Makani nodded his head. "That will work. Bring a couple tee shirts, too."

"Got it," Danny replied. "Rest easy, Steven. No monkey business."

"Take it easy, Brah," Chin told him while Kono gave his hand a squeeze.

Steve was asleep before they left the room.

~~~H50~~~

After leaving the hospital, Danny went home for a much needed nap and a shower. While he had managed to sleep in the chair overnight, with all the noise and interruptions in ICU it wasn't a restful sleep. He had decided that if you weren't sick when you got there, you would be before they let you leave. After his shower, Danny detoured to Steve's house to pick up the sleepwear and toiletry items, throwing them in a backpack he found in the closet. As he headed down the stairs, he heard a knock at the back door and set down the pack to see who it was.

"Hey, Caroline!" he greeted when he saw a young girl at the door. Her grandparents had been Steve's neighbors since he was a little boy and one evening while Caroline and Grace played in the ocean, her grandmother had regaled him with "Little Stevie" horror stories. Much to "Bigger Stevie's" horror.

"Hi, Mr. Williams. How's Grace?"

"She's good. Are you spending the weekend with your grandparents?"

"I'm here for the week. You think maybe Grace could come over?"

Danny immediately flashed back to Steve's words about Grace spending too much time at his house. He hesitated, then replied, "I think that might be arranged some evening."

"Great," she said, smiling. "Hey, is Mr. Steve here?" She held up a decorative tin. "I think I need to say I'm sorry…"

~~~H50~~~


	7. Chapter 7

'_**E ha**_

_**Chapter 7**_

_**Queens Medical Center Neuroscience Wing**_

_**Saturday, 1645 hours**_

_**~~~H50~~~  
**_

"Would you please hold still?"

An extremely agitated voice replied, "Not movin'. Jus' get da damn ting."

Danny stopped in the doorway of Steve's hospital room, listening to the strange conversation. All he could see was Dr. Makani leaning over the bed and Steve's fist tightly gripped around the bed rail. His legs were jerking in response to whatever the doctor was doing.

"I told you not to sniff it up there or I would have to go fishing and neither one of us would like it."

"I din'nit sniff. You should'na hab answered da phone. Ow! Dat hurts."

"Sorry, but I have a wife who is 8.75 months pregnant and I _**have**_ to answer the phone. Wait. There. I got it."

Makani stood up, holding up a pair of tweezers and Danny decided it was safe to enter the room. "Is this a private party? Want me to leave?"

Makani turned around and Danny got a glimpse of Steve, both hands on his face holding his nose. He couldn't contain his laughter any longer. "I'm sorry, but just what were you two doing?"

Steve continued to protect his face. "He lost a big wad of gauze up my nose."

The doctor dropped his 'prize' into a small container and held it up for Danny to see. "It's not big and he sniffed it up there. Had to dig to find it."

Danny held up his hand. "Thank you, but I believe you. I don't need to see the evidence."

Steve continued to complain. "If you hadn't left the room to answer your phone, maybe someone would have remembered it was in there before it traveled all the way to my brain."

"I told you the only way it traveled was by you sniffing. And it wasn't in your brain."

"Could've fooled me."

"Well, if you two can stop bickering for two minutes, I actually have some news to share." Danny moved to the opposite side of the bed and set Steve's backpack on the bed near his feet. "How you feeling, Partner?" he asked, while unzipping the pack and pulling out the tin.

Steve rubbed at his nose once again. "Headache's better, but now my nose hurts. What's in the box?"

Danny gave the tin a small shake. "Cookies, which are very good, I might add." He handed the tin to Steve. "Compliments of Mrs. Hu and Caroline."

"You ate my cookies?"

"I had one cookie, Steven, really, does it hurt you to share?"

Steve took a cookie and offered one to the doctor. "So, what's your news?"

"_**I**_ know how you hurt your head. And for another cookie, I'll tell you." He reached in the container and helped himself.

"But I didn't hurt—"

Danny wagged his finger at his partner. "Ah, but apparently you did. Caroline brought over the cookies as an apology. She said you were showing her some surfing techniques on Sunday night. Remember that?"

"Yeah, sure, but…" his face showed his confusion.

"She said a wave took you both off guard and she tumbled. The board flipped and it smacked you in the back of the head and knocked you under. The cookies, ergo, are her apology," he finished, grabbing another cookie from the tin.

"That could do it," Makani agreed, glancing at Steve. "You don't remember that?"

Steve looked confused, trying to think back to that evening. "Not really. I remember I was finishing a run on the beach and stopped at the Hu's house. Her grandparents were sitting on the sand watching her trying to stay on the board, so I offered to give her some pointers." He shook his head. "Don't remember getting knocked around in the water."

"Well, I'm glad to know that this hasn't been a ticking bomb inside your head for several months. If this developed a week ago, I feel confident it will close quickly on its own." The doctor gathered his things along with the roving piece of gauze and moved toward the door. "You'll have a dinner tray soon. The nurse can raise the head of the bed for a few minutes so you can eat, but then you need to lay back down and sleep some more."

"It seems that's all I can manage to do," Steve replied, emphasizing the fact with a yawn.

"Don't fight it. That's what your body really needs to recharge. We'll do another scan in the morning. Until then, rest." He waved as he headed out the door. "And thanks for the cookie."

~~~H50~~~

_**Queens Medical Center Neuroscience Wing**_

_**Sunday, 0045 hours**_

**Nurse's Notes – Room 520**

**0045 hours**

**Patient McGarrett sleeping peacefully. Received oral pain meds at 2300; will evaluate pain level upon waking. Temp is 99.8; well within normal range with low CSF.**

**~~~H50~~~  
**

**0245 hours**

**Patient continues to sleep without incident. Temp remains at 99.8. **

Steve tossed restlessly on the bed, his headache beginning to make itself known once again, even in his sleep.

_I hired you… you're safe _

_Won't have to go through life as a meter maid_

He frowned, tossing his head on the pillow as the words wove through his dreams.

~~~H50~~~

**0445 hours**

**Patient appears restless. Temp up slightly to 100.2. Awoke, startled and disoriented at my touch. Refused pain meds. Will check in half hour to ensure he is back to sleep.**

Steve jumped when he felt something touch his forehead. "Huh?" He jerked his head up to see where he was, then winced when the movement caused an immediate spike of pain in his skull. He dropped back to the pillow, not quite controlling the groan that slipped out.

"Hey, I'm sorry," the nurse assured him, placing her hand on his forehead to keep him from jumping up. "I'm just taking your temperature."

"Hmmm." His eyes opened once again and he anxiously looked around. "Where? … oh, hospital." When he realized where he was, he visibly relaxed although she could see the pain and stress outlined on his face.

"My name is Betty," the older nurse said, smiling down at him. "You've been asleep every time I've come in here tonight, so that's good. How's your headache now that you're awake?"

"I think it was fine until I moved."

"Sorry, that was my fault. I didn't mean to startle you," she told him. "Earlier, you seemed to be sleeping so well, I didn't want to wake you. I'm sure you are ready for your pain meds now."

"It's not too bad," Steve told her, hating the thought of another dose of pills. He rubbed his hand over his eyes and then blearily looked up at her. "But I'm kind of thirsty."

"Of course," Betty replied, pouring a cup of water from the pitcher on the nightstand and inserting a straw into the cup. "Here, not too much at once," she told him. "Are you sure you don't need anything for pain?"

He handed the cup back to her and shook his head. "Not right now. Don't like the way they make me feel."

"Are you nauseous?"

"Kinda, but it's OK. Don't need anything."

"All right," she told him. "I'll leave you alone if you think you can get back to sleep.

"Yeah." To prove his point, his eyes were already closing.

~~~H50~~~

**0515 hours**

**Patient sleeping restlessly. Temp remains at 100.2. Did not attempt to awake for meds, but is scheduled for follow up cisternogram at 0700 and will receive pain meds prior to that time.**

The words continued to be repeated over and over as his dreams changed throughout the night. Mostly he heard his own voice, taunting and grating, harsh and hateful while speaking to people he couldn't see.

_Minority quota Won't let you be a real cop… grunt job … meter maid_

_You can thank me later … thank me later … thank me…_

… _doesn't like the truth_

_She's related to __**you…**_

…_. Related to you … _

_I hired her. She's safe. … don't worry, so are you…_

_She came whining to you?_

… _tired of you people _

… _your kid at my house … would like the night off_

Suddenly in the middle of his dream, he could hear Danny's voice shouting at him, "She loves you, you know…"

… _she loves you …_

_Loves you…_

Danny's words continued to play over and over in his head and they made him very sad. Where is Grace? Need to find Grace. Something's wrong, Grace is gone. She's not coming back.

"**Grace?"**

… _tired of you people…_

_The only one with a problem is you … problem … is you …_

_job is yours _

_Because I'm done … _

_I'm done … _

_done … _

"**I'M DONE!"**

Steve bolted upright in bed, repeatedly screaming the two words. When he jerked upward, pain lanced through his skull, taking his breath away. He grabbed his head with both hands, his fingers gripping tightly, squeezing on the outside to counter the beating pain on the inside.

The upward movement caused his stomach to flip and he felt the nausea increase shortly before the hot, churning liquid spewed forth. Thankful for the railing on the bed, he fell sideways against it when he began throwing up.

"Commander!"

Betty had heard his shout from her seat at the nurse's desk and ran down the hall, entering the doorway just as he began to vomit. She managed to contain some of it in the emesis basin, but most hit his tee shirt, the bed covers and floor.

When the meager contents of his stomach was gone, he continued to retch and each time he gagged on the bile, he felt tendrils of fire pierce his brain. His body was weakened from the exertion and he leaned against the railing, trying to catch his breath when the heaves began to subside. Betty held the basin in one hand and rubbed his back with the other while he continued to hold the sides of his head in a vice grip.

"Make it stop," he moaned between heaving. "Please make it stop."

Another nurse entered the room and Betty looked over her shoulder, barking orders. "Get Makani on the phone – I know it's early, but we need him. I need a verbal order for IV pain meds. After that, please bring me Phenergan 25 mg."

Miranda ran out the door, just as a second nurse entered. "Betty, how can I help?"

"Kami, help me get him back down." The nurse carefully maneuvered around the mess on the floor and moved closer to the bed while Betty leaned over her patient.

"OK, Steve, just try to relax. You'll have something for the nausea very soon, so hang in there. We're going to move you."

He tried to slow his breathing but his effort only caused a round of coughing, which in turn brought another bout of dry heaves. One hand was now tightly holding the bedrail and the other was firmly planted on his forehead, his fingers digging into his skull.

"No… Head hurts. And… can't… breathe."

Kami placed her hand on his chest. "Take slow breaths – you're almost hyperventilating." She tried to help regulate his intake of air by keeping the pressure on his chest while Betty lowered him onto the pillow, rolling him to the side and placing pillows behind his back to keep him in that position.

"Here we go," Miranda said as she returned, carrying Steve's chart and two syringes. "Don will be here soon. Want me to inject the Penta into the IV?"

"Yes, please, and give Kami the Phenergan so we can get it in his backside." Betty quickly pulled down the elastic band of Steve's sleep pants and held it so that Kami could swipe an alcohol swab and insert the needle into the muscle.

"Steve, you're doing fine and should start feeling better in a couple of minutes." Betty rubbed her hand over his shoulder, waiting for the tense muscles to relax.

He kept his eyes tightly squeezed shut, one hand still gripping his forehead, his breath coming in small hitches as he breathed through his open mouth.

"I'll call housekeeping," Miranda said as Kami removed the soiled covers from the bed, once again side-stepping what was on the floor. "Do you need anything else?"

"Not at the moment," Betty replied, keeping her hand on Steve's shoulder. "He's doing good."

When the pain meds began easing the throbbing to a more steady level, Steve finally let his hand fall back away from his face and said in a gravelly voice, "My nose is runnin' again."

Betty leaned down to check his nose and then reached for one of the gauze plugs they had placed in the bedside table. "I'm going to put this in until Dr. Makani can get here, so lie still for me. You're breathing better, but with this in, breathe through your mouth and try to relax. The meds will probably make you sleepy, so don't fight it. Sounds like you were having a nightmare," she commented and had to strain to hear his next words.

"Wish it was a nightmare," Steve quietly replied, closing his eyes.

Kami returned with a sheet and blanket and prepared a warm, wet washrag which she handed over to Betty who began to clean up her patient, washing his face and neck. "Steve, want to rinse out your mouth with water?"

"Don't want to move," he admitted.

"We need to get this dirty shirt off, but we'll be as quick as possible. Kami, would you mind getting me a gown, too?"

Betty set the wash cloth aside and rubbed her hand down his arm. "Commander, please bear with us and we'll have you cleaned up in no time." She saw that his eyes were already half-mast from the combination of drugs he had received. "Go ahead and sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up."

Betty stared at her patient, hoping that her statement wasn't a lie. She had been shocked upon seeing the amount of green-tinged fluid that had leaked in such a short time. And she hadn't had a chance to check his temperature, but from touching him, she could tell his fever was up a bit. Housekeeping came in to clean the floor, but she didn't move, keeping watch over him, her hand on his arm until the doctor finally arrived.

~~~H50~~~

Dr. Makani removed the saturated gauze plug from his sleeping patient's nose, disturbed to see how wet it was. He then watched the slow trickle of fluid which began to drip once the gauze was removed. "Betty, did he jerk his head when he woke up?"

She nodded her head. "I assume so. I didn't see him, but I came running when I heard him shout, apparently from a nightmare. He was sitting up and just beginning to vomit. In addition to throwing up, he was in quite a lot of pain. Look at the marks he left on his forehead from gripping it so tightly."

The doctor nodded in thought. "I'm going to go ahead and take him down and we'll probably do a blood patch after the cisternogram. I was hoping this would close on its own, but after this morning, it looks like we'll need to plug it. We can keep the same schedule and get him in at seven. I'm going to wake him up, so have another dose of Phenergan ready."

"Oral or IM?" she asked, heading to the door.

"Better make it IM. I doubt he can handle pills right now."

When Betty left the room, Dr. Makani turned back to the bed. "Hey, Steve, can you hear me?" He had worked with military personnel enough times to know that touching the man to wake him was not the wisest move, so he continued to talk. "Commander!" he spoke sharply, finally earning a grunt from the sleeping man. "Steve, wake up. That's an order."

Not one to willingly disobey orders… military ones, that is, Steve groaned and opened his eyes, then allowed them to close once again. "What?" he croaked out, his throat raw from heaving so forcefully.

Makani reached for the cup of water and offered it to his patient, who was still rolled onto his side. "This might help," he offered.

Steve blinked and saw the cup and took a couple of sips, wincing as the water went down his sore throat. "Thanks."

"How's the head?"

Steve's eyes remained closed. "Can I trade … for a newer model?"

"Sorry, I don't do transplants," the doctor explained, "but I hope to have a solution to help."

"I don't care what it is, do it," Steve pleaded. "Can't take much more of this."

"On the scale, what is it while you are lying down?"

He grimaced. "Don't know… can't even think it hurts so bad."

Dr. Makani knew that it must be bad if his patient even admitted that much. "We're going to do a procedure called a blood patch. We'll take blood from your arm and inject it into your spinal column directly into the leak. It should close it pretty quickly."

"Should'a done that… couple'a days ago."

"Well, there is a risk of infection any time we introduce something into the spinal fluid. And while it should help with your headache, it isn't the most pleasant of procedures."

"Don't care. Just… do it."

"You're on the schedule for seven. I'll call your partner and fill—"

"NO!" His voice sounded near panicked and he began taking short, panting breaths, once again holding his head in his hands. "No, please. Don't call them. I… just don't."

"I told them I would keep them informed—"

Steve opened his eyes and tried to glare at the doctor. "I don't care what you said. I don't want them here. Understand?"

"Clearly," he agreed, nodding his head and making a notation on his pad. "What do I say when they call… or show up, which they surely will."

"You can… tell them I don't feel like company. And…" he squeezed his eyes shut. "And that's the truth. I don't want to see anyone."

"That's your call," Makani agreed as Betty returned with the syringe. "How's the nausea?" the doctor asked, reaching to take the syringe from her.

"Can't think about it… or I'll puke again."

"Then this should help," Makani said while Betty pulled down the cover and moved aside the hospital gown.

Betty swabbed his buttock and Steve squeaked, "What are you do—OUCH!" His eyes shot open in surprise and pain. "What'd you do that for?"

"No need for modesty, son, I've seen it all before," Betty told him while rubbing the injection site.

"Want my pants back," Steve mumbled, closing his eyes once again, feeling the heat in his cheeks that had nothing to do with a fever.

"They'll come get you in a few minutes," she told him. "Just try to go back to sleep and you'll forget about your modesty," she promised while tucking the gown back around him and pulling up the cover.

She doubted he even heard her.

~~~H50~~~


	8. Chapter 8

_**sorry everyone... it has been a very busy day and I forgot to post this during lunch! ** _

'_**E ha**_

_**Chapter 8**_

Steve had managed to fool Betty into thinking he was asleep, but, unfortunately he was far from it. The words from his 'nightmare' were running rampant through his head, spiraling out of control, causing the headache to kick up a few more notches while each word was driven home. And even though the physical pain was intense, he couldn't shut off his brain and stop the words that he had remembered.

… _grunt job … meter maid_

_thank me later …_

_She's related to __**you…**_

_She came whining to you?_

… _tired of you people _

_The only one with a problem is you … problem … is you …_

The churning nausea he was experiencing had little to do with what was wrong with his head. He remembered everything and _**knew**_ he had spoken each of those words to his team.

His friends.

And no amount of wishing could take away what had been said.

… _tired of you people _

How untrue that statement was.

He wanted them.

He _**needed**_ them.

But how could he face any of them after the cutting things he had said? How could they have even remained here in the same room with him? Pretending that there was nothing wrong.

When, as he saw it, everything was wrong.

And he couldn't make it right ever again.

He laid there, eyes tightly squeezed shut, trying to control both the nausea and the pulsating pain which pounded through his head with each snippet of words he had yelled.

… _because I'm done…_

And he was. He could think of no words of apology that would make the words he had said any easier to bear. And he didn't have the strength to fight anymore. With no fight left, the flight instinct took over. He would just have to wait for the right time…

Shortly before seven, Betty came back into the room and rubbed her hand across his shoulder. "Hey, Commander," she quietly spoke, "the anesthesiologist is ready for you so they are on their way to take you downstairs. I'll be gone when you get back to the room, so I hope you feel much better. You take it easy and I'll see you tonight. I already wrote my name down on the board so that they don't try to give you to anyone else!"

She got no response but could tell by his hitched breathing that he was awake. She removed the pillows that were propping him into place and squeezed his arm. "Come on, open your eyes. I need to know you're OK so I can write my final chart report." She used the thermometer scanner and checked his temperature one final time, noting that it was still elevated.

Steve swallowed and rolled onto his back, blinking at her in the morning light.

"There you go," she said, smiling at him. "You're going to feel better very soon. I'll see you later."

He gave her a weak nod and then closed his eyes once again.

She heard the gurney coming through the door, so with another pat of his hand, she was gone.

~~~H50~~~

Steve couldn't tell what was worse on the trip to the OR; keeping his eyes closed or trying to keep them open. Open, he saw the arc of each light and ceiling tile swim above him, but closed, he felt like he was ready to fly off a roller coaster traveling at the speed of light.

So he covered his eyes with his arm and prayed the trip would end soon.

Unfortunately when they reached their destination, the lights were as bright as movie spotlights, so the sick feeling didn't go away.

"OK, Steve, we're ready for you," Makani told him. "This is Dr. Hamilton, the anesthesiologist. He's actually the one who will do the procedure. After reviewing your scans, we've decided to forego another cisternogram and just do the blood patch."

Steve opened his eyes and squinted to see an older doctor next to Makani. Hamilton reached up and adjusted one of the lights out of his eyes before speaking. "Steve, you need to stay awake during the blood patch so that I can ask you some questions. We'll try to keep you as comfortable as possible and it shouldn't take long before you notice a change in your headache. Now, just bear with us while we finish getting ready."

"Steve, any questions?" Makani asked.

"No. Yeah, can I go home after this?"

The doctor smiled. "If this works, you'll be out of the hospital very soon." He looked at the nurse who was ready to insert the needle to draw blood from his arm. "OK, Ana is going to prepare your arm for the draw and then we'll get you on the table."

Steve closed his eyes to block out the movement around him, wishing he was anyplace but where he was. He didn't like the feeling of having _**no**_ control. His gurney moved again and he heard the doctor's voice once more. "On three, logroll him to the table. Steve, relax and let us do the work. I need you face down; your face will be on a round pillow with a donut-hole in the middle so you can breathe.

He had to fight through panic when, all of a sudden, there were hands everywhere. Someone placed the prongs of a canula beneath his nose and around his ears while another pulled back the sheet and quickly took away his gown. Before he could protest, hands grabbed him and he was rolled onto his stomach with his head positioned over the pillow at the end of the table. One arm was placed next to his side and the one with the needle was stretched out on a side table.

He was covered with a sheet up to his mid-back and then he felt them strapping him down, his body immediately tensing as they did so.

When he felt Steve's muscles tense from the straps, Dr. Hamilton explained, "Son, you need to remain completely still for this, and the straps will help ensure that. I'm also going to have someone hold your head while I perform the procedure. You cool with that?"

What choice did he have? "I'm good," he replied, his voice muffled in the pillow. He heard the doctor's voice mention diazepam before feeling a flush of drugs move through his vein.

He felt them cover his head, back and arm with drapes before the doctor spoke again. "How's the headache feel?" Hamilton asked.

The drugs were beginning to take effect and he had to concentrate on his words. "Still there."

"I'm going to ask you that again in about five minutes, so remember this feeling. We're going to cleanse your neck, so you'll feel cold and wet on it. And I'm going to drop the pillow section of the table down so I can get full access to the back of your neck. Ana, go ahead and draw me 20 ml of blood in the syringe."

The top section of the table was lowered and he felt hands on his head while someone else swabbed cold solution on him. He heard a stool roll across the floor, stopping near his head and then a voice spoke close to his ear. "My name is Elani and I'm going to position your head for Dr. Hamilton. Let me know if you need anything."

" 'K," he mumbled, trying to tamp down on the panicked and out-of-control feeling.

"Don, show me those pictures again," the anesthesiologist requested. Steve felt fingers pressing on his neck and then the doctor continued, "Steve, you're going to feel a sting and will hear a pop as the needle enters the spinal column. Stay completely still for me. Elani, you have him?"

"Yes, sir. We're ready, aren't we, Steve?"

He didn't have a chance to agree or disagree before he felt a burst of pain at the base of his skull. He didn't dare breathe, let alone move. The pop sounded deafening in his ears and he knew for certain that he wasn't moving a muscle until that thing was out of there.

"Come on, Steve," Elani told him. "You might need to breathe."

"I'm in," the doctor said. "Let's check for placement. Look good to everyone?"

Dr. Makani replied, while checking the visual feed. "Pictures look good."

"OK, Ana, give me the syringe. Steve, you're going to feel pressure and some heat in your neck. We're going to take it slow."

Steve could most definitely feel the unpleasant pressure and heard Elani remind him once again to breathe. A few moments later, the doctor got his attention. "Steve, do you feel any tingling in your hands or feet?"

He had to think about it, and then replied, "No."

The doctor touched the arm that was draped on the cart. "Can you move your fingers for me?"

He complied and then, when asked, wiggled his toes as well.

"OK, looking good," the doctor assured him. "We're adding another 5 ml." Once that amount was inserted through the needle, the doctor asked the same questions and received the same answers. "One more time," he told Steve, inserting a total of 15 ml of blood into his spinal column. After a few moments, Dr. Hamilton spoke again. "About done, Steve. Can you tell a difference in your headache?"

"Uh, …" he hesitated, hardly believing what he was feeling. "It's… it's almost gone."

"Exactly the answer I wanted to hear," the doctor replied.

Steve was amazed at the immediate relief of pain. And felt like it was too good to be true after the morning he had endured.

The needle was removed and he felt a bandage taped into place before the drapes and Velcro straps were removed.

"I want you to rest here for a half hour or so," the doctor told him, "and then we'll move you back to your room. You'll need to stay flat for another few hours and then they'll get you up this afternoon. Any questions?"

"Yeah… can I turn over?"

"Give it a few minutes," the Hamilton replied. "Elani will stay here with you, but I want you to remain still for a few minutes before they move you. Is the pain still gone?"

"Yeah, it's good."

"Then, I'd say that we're done here. You take it easy for a couple of days even after you get home."

"Hey, thanks." Steve felt silly talking through a hole in a pillow to a person he couldn't see.

"Take care."

He felt a hand on his shoulder and Elani's voice said, "Close your eyes and rest. I'll be right here."

Steve was surprised when he felt the sheet being shifted and realized time had passed and he had actually dozed off while still on the table.

"Steve, are you awake?"

"Um, yeah, I am now," he sheepishly replied.

"Are you still feeling OK?" she asked. "We're ready to move you as soon as we get this gown on," Elani told him.

"I'm OK," he replied. But I still want my clothes," he mumbled around a yawn.

"Are they in your room?" she asked.

"Think so."

"OK, let's get you on the gurney and we'll go find some real clothes," she promised. "We're going to turn you over, so you might feel some dizziness. Just breathe through it and let us do the work." She held his head and once again, he felt the hands reach for him and roll him over. Thankfully the sheet came with him this time.

Elani removed the oxygen and asked, "Everything OK?"

He opened his eyes and blinked. "Yeah. I'm good," he replied.

She smiled at him. "You sound shocked."

"I am, kinda. Was beginning to think that headache wasn't going away."

"Well, let's keep it away," she replied as they begin to move out of the OR.

Minutes later, he was in his own clothes, in bed and resting. And already thinking of ways to get out of the hospital.

~~~H50~~~

Dr. Makani came in at lunch to find Steve sitting in bed, pushing food around on the tray. "You know that food is supposed to be eaten, right?"

"Yeah." Steve made a face at what appeared to be chicken salad. He had eaten the fruit that had come with it, but hesitated on the chunks of chicken swimming in what tasted like yogurt.

"How's the head?"

"It's good. Even when I'm sitting up." Steve gave up the appearance of eating and set down the fork. "So, any reason I have to stay here?"

"Yes, there is," Makani answered folding his arms. "Because I'm not ready to discharge you just yet."

"But I can rest just as well at home – probably better – than I can here," Steve countered, already having had both sides of this conversation in his head.

"You're probably right… but I repeat… not so fast," the doctor ended the conversation abruptly. "By the way, I took a bullet for you this morning."

"Huh?"

"Your team. Or rather, your partner was ready to rip me a new one when I told him he couldn't see you."

Steve rubbed his eyes with one hand. "Yeah, well, he can get over it," he muttered.

"Are you ready to tell me what the problem is?"

He sighed and refused to make eye contact. "No."

"Then let me give it a shot," Makani said. "I'm guessing that with the nightmare you had this morning, you remembered the past couple of days. And, you probably didn't like what you remember."

The muscle in Steve's jaw clenched and he glared at the food on his tray table.

"No comment?" the doctor asked.

"You trying to moonlight as a shrink?"

Makani shook his head. "No, but that's my take on things. When you first woke yesterday morning, you were angry at your friends but I could tell you didn't remember what had happened. And they were thankful you didn't."

"Well, I remember now," he quietly replied.

"What you need to realize is that they don't blame you."

"_**I**_ blame me. You don't know what I said." Steve shoved the tray table away from him causing the water glass to wobble and nearly topple. The doctor moved it out of the way before the food landed on the floor. "Steve, they know you weren't responsible for what you said."

"But I don't know that. What if—" He hesitated, swallowing nervously, then quietly asked, "What if that's how I really feel? I mean, deep down."

"Do you?"

"No! Of course not… at least I don't think so. But I must have those feelings. You—" Steve paused once again, running his hand through his hair. "You can't believe what I said to Kono. And Chin." He swallowed convulsively once again and added quietly, "And there's no way I can ever repair what I said to Danny." He closed his eyes and leaned back into the pillow.

"How the hell were they able to come in here and even look at me without wanting to kill me?"

"Well, first," the doctor began, "they are your friends." He used the remote and lowered the bed since Steve had given up on the food. "And second, they know you had no control over your actions."

Steve sighed. "I'm not buying it."

"You're going to have to talk to them."

"Not today. You said—"

"Yes, I told them you needed complete rest today. But I'll go on record now and say that first thing tomorrow morning, your partner will be camped outside your door. And you know I'm right."

"Then let me go home tonight."

Makani shook his head. "Not happening. Maybe tomorrow. In fact, probably tomorrow, but, I repeat, _**not**_ tonight. You're not ready." His cell phone began to ring and he pulled it from his pocket. "Sorry, I need to take this."

He listened for a beat and then said, "OK, ok, on my way. Cara, promise me you'll sit down and wait for me. I'll be there in ten – fifteen minutes, tops. Don't worry. Love you."

He ended the call and grabbed his things. "I'm having a baby. I mean, my wife… never mind. So, uh, Dr. Jefferson will take my cases for the next couple of days and will be here later this afternoon to check on you." He began backing toward the door. "You take it easy, and give your team a chance. They'll be fine. You all will be. Got to go."

Before Steve could even congratulate him, Makani was out the door.

Steve leaned back into the pillow, the seeds of a plan already in place.

~~~H50~~~


	9. Chapter 9

'_**E ha**_

_**Chapter 9**_

Dr. Jefferson finally arrived around six that afternoon. Steve had been waiting, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt that he found in the backpack Danny had brought. He was sitting on the side of the bed, attempting to look the picture of health. Steve glanced up when *she* came into the room.

_Well, that's a surprise._

Steve felt good. No headache at all, which was remarkable, considering how his day had begun. His neck was stiff and sore from the puncture site, but other than that, he felt that he was getting back to normal. Something he hadn't thought possible less than 12 hours ago.

The doctor breezed in, chart in her hand. "Mr. McGarrett, I'm Dr. Jefferson. How are you feeling this afternoon?"

And Steve turned on the charm. He considered it a sign… a gift from the gods that the doctor was a woman. A plus… he hoped… in his favor.

"I'm good, great, in fact. Just waiting for your final check so I can get out of here." He smiled the thousand kilowatt smile that had charmed the opposite sex even before he knew how to use it to his advantage. From an early age, he remembered his mother's friends fussing over him with comments of, "Doris, with those eyes and that smile, you're going to have your hands full…"

The doctor hesitated, reading the chart, flipping over a couple of pages. "I'm sorry, but Dr. Makani's notes say you should be able to leave in the morning as long as your fever is down and the headache isn't back. You just had the blood patch this morning, correct? It is procedure to keep a patient at least 24 hours afterwards."

"Well, right before Dr. Makani got his phone call, we were discussing me leaving this afternoon. We agreed I would sleep much better in my own bed. He was writing notes in his iPad and then his wife called. Hey, have they had that baby yet? He was real excited when he ran out of here. I'm betting he didn't even finish the notes he was working on."

_Change of subject. Throw the opponent off guard._

"Um, no, but they are in active labor. I'm sorry, I just don't see any indication of—"

"Oh, come on. I'm already dressed and ready to go. He said I just needed to wait for a final check this afternoon and then I would be set free."

"Mr. McGarrett—" She looked at him, a perplexed expression on her face. "I don't think—"

"It's Commander," he mentioned with another smile. "Look, I've had quite a lot of medical training and know the warning signs I should look for. Oh, and my friend who is picking me up is a doctor. That should help your decision, right?"

"A doctor is taking you home?"

"Yes. Max Bergman. He's the ME."

"And Dr. Bergman will stay with you?"

"Absolutely. As long as I need him."

"Well," she hesitated, looking through the chart once again. "In that case, I suppose I can discharge you into another doctor's care. But before then, I'm going to do a check and we'll have to get a prescription for an antibiotic filled. From looking at your chart, you were quite ill just this morning." She pulled out her thermometer and checked his temp, noting it was down to 99.8. "How's the pain level?"

"It's great," Steve replied. "My head doesn't hurt at all. I feel back to normal."

She made him follow her pen with his eyes and made another notation in the chart. "Any stiffness in your neck or pain at the puncture site?"

"My neck is kind of sore from that needle, but not bad. I just know that I can't wait to get in my own bed tonight."

"Then let me tell you something. Your bed is where you need to stay for at least another 24 hours. You can get up for the bathroom and to eat, but other than that, I want you resting. And that is non-negotiable. Do you think that you and Dr. Bergman can agree to that?"

"Of course. That won't be a problem," Steve assured her.

"All right. Give me a few minutes to send the prescription down to the Pharmacy and I'll sign the papers. What time is your ride showing up?"

"As soon as I call him and give him the heads up. I can't thank you enough for this. I really don't want to spend another night in here. You know… with all the noise and stuff. Can't get any rest here," he added, the smile firmly back in place.

"I can understand that, Commander. You take care of yourself. I'll write out a list of do's and don'ts for you to follow."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

As soon as she was out of the room, Steve breathed a sigh of relief and had to grin at his accomplishment, proud that he was convincing enough to be allowed to leave. He opened the drawer of the bedside table and removed his wallet, keys and cell phone. Steve settled back onto the bed, propped up by the pillows and thumbed through his contact list, finding Dr. Bergman's name.

"Hi Max, it's Steve McGarrett. Hey, are you busy? I need a favor…"

Thirty minutes later, a nurse arrived with the hated wheel chair, but Steve didn't make a peep about having to ride like an invalid. In fact, he grabbed his backpack and let the nurse help get him situated in the chair, thanking her for her help. He was home free.

Or so he thought. There were a few tense moments inside the doors while waiting for Max to arrive.

The nurse was waiting with him when the double doors automatically opened and in walked Betty, Steve's nurse from the previous night. She did a double take seeing him seated in the chair, then looked at the nurse who was with him.

"Commander? You're leaving today?"

"Ah, yes, ma'am. Got discharged by Dr. Jefferson. Hey, did you know Dr. Makani's wife is in labor? Isn't that great?"

_Deflection again. Worked the first time._

She looked at the nurse for back up. "But we don't release neuro patients the same day of surgery."

The nurse nodded and said, "Dr. Jefferson did release him, though."

"What can I say… I'm a fast healer." Steve smiled and continued, "My head stopped hurting this morning and I've been great all day." Behind her, Steve saw Max's shiny, yellow Camaro drive up, saving his butt. "Hey, I'm sorry, but my ride is here, so I sort of need to get out of here."

Betty still wasn't pleased. "I'm sure this isn't Dr. Makani's intentions. You should remain another night. Steve, you need to take care of yourself."

"Yes, Ma'am. Absolutely, I will. Thank you all for your help. I really appreciate it." As he was talking, he started to get up and the nurse pushed him back down into the seat. "No, you just stay put. I'll take you to the curb. Betty, I'll see you back upstairs."

The double doors again parted and Steve let out a sigh of relief. That was closer than he would have liked.

But he was home free.

Or so he thought... again.

Max kept giving him what he thought were covert glances. Steve thought that Max wouldn't know covert if it came up and introduced itself.

"So, Steve, you said your team couldn't pick you up?"

"Ah, no, Max. They're in the middle of a case and can't get away. I was discharged and immediately thought of you since you really helped me out before. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."

_Lay on the load of crap as quickly as you can, McGarrett._

"Yes, well, I am concerned that you shouldn't remain by yourself," Max told him. "I would stay, but—"

"Oh, no, Max. I'm fine. Really. No need for anyone to stay with me."

"But your team… I mean, once they are finished with the case tonight, they _**will**_ be there, correct?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." The lies kept coming. "But I just can't bother them now… being as they are… you know, in the middle of a case."

"Of course."

They turned into Steve's drive and he breathed a sigh of relief. _Home. With doors that can be locked and shades that can be drawn. _

_Solitude._

"Thanks, Max. I owe you one… again." Steve opened the door, reached for his backpack and gave Max a mock salute. "I'll see you in a couple of days when I'm back to work."

"Yes. All right." The ME hesitated, before asking once again, "Steve, you are certain that you will be fine here alone?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks again." Steve closed the car door and waved, waiting to ensure Max backed out of the drive before going into the house. Once inside, he closed the door, dropped the backpack at his feet and leaned against the doorframe, letting out a huge, shaky sigh of relief.

Home.

Alone.

Away from pitying stares, away from well-meaning team members who he couldn't look in the eye, and away from people that wanted him to talk.

He reached up and rubbed his neck, which had begun to ache before he left the hospital. In fact, the longer he was up, the more it screamed at him. He sighed and pushed away from the door, walking into the living room.

The house felt… different.

Empty.

His house was empty.

And that was the way it needed to stay. He couldn't afford the luxury of friends.

Correct that. He didn't _**deserve**_ friends. And why would they want to stay around him? When they weren't in danger due to his actions, he apparently ensured that they would stay away with his words.

Steve walked through the house, opening up the doors to the lanai, allowing the breeze to filter through the first floor. He walked on tired legs out to the sand, kicking off the slippers Danny had packed before walking into the water. The saturated material of the sweat pants clung around his legs, making walking difficult, but he went out to knee-deep and just stood there, letting the waves lap to his thighs. He didn't care if he was soaked; this was home. He placed his hands palms down on the surface of the water and felt the waves cascading over them, calming him.

How he wished he could dive in and head out to sea. But somewhere on that list the doctor made him review were the words: No Swimming.

What does she know?

After several calming minutes, he turned and slogged out of the water, holding onto the wet and heavy pants to keep them from falling down. He started to reach down and pick up his shoes but his neck protested, so he kicked them out of the way of high tide and went to the lanai where he dropped tiredly into one of the deck chairs. The breeze began to dry his pants and he leaned his head back against the chair and sighed. His neck thanked him for the support and he closed his eyes, content to finally relax within the safe confines of his home.

Unbidden, his thoughts turned to his team. The people he could not and would not face. At least not today. Maybe later, when he figured out what he could say. How he could apologize. Maybe in a letter.

_No, that's really the coward's way out._

_Maybe you are a coward._

Not that his words would mean squat, whether written or verbal. The things he had said could never be taken back or forgotten. He knew that. But he would try his best to say he was sorry and hope they could somehow maintain a working relationship.

But he knew things would never be the same.

No more family time.

No more winding down with beer after a case.

No more friends filling his house with laughter.

No more Grace.

No more…

Steve sighed and even though the pain in his head was gone, there was a larger ache in his heart. One that no medical miracle could ever repair.

He watched the sun as it dipped below the horizon, taking the day with it. He was comfortable in the chair and his pants were almost dry. He knew he should get up, take the antibiotic and try to eat something. That is, if there was anything edible in the kitchen.

Not that he cared… he wasn't hungry.

So he remained on the lanai, listening to the ocean sounds that had been lulling him to sleep since before he could even remember.

~~~H50~~~

Danny had felt useless all day long. He wanted to check on Steve, but had been told in no uncertain terms to _**not **_come to the hospital, _**not **_badger the nurses with phone calls or try to contact Steve for the entire day. Makani had stressed that Steve needed absolute peace and quiet to recuperate from what they had done to him that morning.

And Danny hadn't liked being ordered to stay away. Steve needed his friends.

But as hard as it was to do, he complied with the doctor's orders. He had watched a late game on TV and enjoyed a couple of Longboards before heading to bed a little after midnight. The combination of boredom, the drone from the TV and the beer had quickly lulled him into a deep sleep.

Until the phone on his bedside table began to ring and vibrate, dancing its way across the wooden surface.

Danny opened one eye and stared at the clock. Twelve forty five. Way too early to be called in for work.

He lay there, praying the tones would stop. It was a generic call; he had programmed "special" ringtones for his friends and family. Or rather, _**Grace**_ had programmed them into his phone. Grace's ringtone was "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," that she found on an 80s CD of Rachel's. She had programmed it into his phone and had later called him just to listen to him freak out. He promised her the only fun she would see would be after she was "ungrounded"…. at age 35. Grace had only laughed at him. She had programmed "Popeye, the Sailor Man" for Steve and he still hadn't figured out how he was going to ensure Steve heard his special ring tone.

Finally, seeing that the call wasn't going to stop, he grabbed the phone before it went to voice mail.

"Williams," he mumbled into it.

"Detective, this is Max… Bergman… and I am sorry to disturb you."

"Max, what's up? We got a case?"

"No, this isn't about my work. Have you completed _**your**_ case this evening?"

"My case? No, I've been home for a while. Asleep, I might add. What's going on?"

"That is most disturbing news. I was assured that after you finished work, you would be at Commander McGarrett's house. He specifically said—"

"Max, maybe you didn't hear, but Steve is in the hospital."

"Unfortunately, I know that is not the case. Steve called me several hours ago and asked me to pick him up at the hospital and transport him to his house. He stated that you could not do so because you were tied up at work. I picked him up around seven and dropped him at home, where he assured me he would be fine until you got there… later tonight. I now believe I may have been… duped."

Danny swung his legs over the side of the bed and ran his hand through his hair. "Max, it happens to the best of us. Did Steve walk out on his own or did he have his doctor's permission?"

"He said he had been released and a nurse brought him to the car, so I hope I assumed correctly that he was discharged."

"Thanks for calling, Max. I'll head over there now and check on him."

"Should I not—"

"Nah, I'll take care of the stubborn horse's patootee. Hey, thanks, man."

"Of course, Detective. And good luck."

Danny hung up the phone and reached for his pants. "Steven, what is going on in that scary mind of yours now?"

~~~H50~~~


	10. Chapter 10

'_**E ha**_

_**Chapter 10**_

_**I would like to thank all of you for your wonderful reviews of this story. I hope I haven't missed anyone in writing a 'thank you'. For the "Guest Reviewers", thanks to you as well. From what I understand in your comments, you really want Steve and Danny to talk. So... finally... here it is!  
**_

_**~~~H50~~~  
**_

Steve woke slowly, his senses coming back one by one. The first realization was the fact that he wasn't in pain. He breathed the tangy smell of the ocean in through his nose and let it out with a satisfied sigh, then yawned loudly. It had been a while since he had slept on the lanai, but he always been able to fall asleep there, sometimes better than he did in his bed.

He kept his eyes closed, relishing the feel of the morning sun on his body. He pushed away the sheet that was covering him and stretched-… In mid-stretch, his fingers felt for the cover once again and he held it up while squinting open his eyes to stare at it.

_Yep, that's a sheet. _

_Ah, crap. There was no sheet last night._

"Good morning, Steven. Glad you finally decided to join the land of the living."

"Danny." Steve's voice was hoarse and flat as he spoke while rubbing the heels of his hands into both eyes.

"Well, don't sound so excited to see me, Partner. How's your head?"

"Fine."

"OK, none of this fine crap, Steve. I need to know how you are. I understand there is a possibility you may have finagled your way out of the hospital yesterday."

Steve finally glared at him. "I was discharged. Have the papers to prove it."

"Yes, Steven, I heard about your 'discharge'. " Danny wiggled his fingers. "I believe it might be a bit fishy."

"It got me home," Steve muttered, swinging his legs onto the floor.

"You're welcome for the sheet, by the way. When I got here, you were shivering in your sleep."

"How did you…?" Steve thought. "Max," he sighed.

"Yes, Max. And he's feeling a little 'used' I might add. And I'm rather curious why you didn't bother calling me to pick you up. Want to fill me in on that?"

Steve quickly stood and headed for the double doors into the house.

"Steve?"

"Nature's calling," he muttered. Walking through the house he heard voices in the kitchen and hurried toward the downstairs bath, where he quickly closed and locked the door, leaning shakily against the back of it.

_I can't do this._

He walked to the sink and leaned his hands on it, trying to roll his shoulders to get the kinks out of his neck. While there was blessedly no headache, his shoulders and neck were stiff and sore. On second thought, the moist, night air probably wasn't the best choice for his neck.

He stared at himself in the mirror, surprised to see three red welts criss-crossing his forehead, having no clue how they got there. He wished there were other things he could forget.

_Not ready for this. Can't face them yet._

_No fair. I want... need to be alone._

There was a knock at the door. "Hey, you can't stay in there forever, Steve. Besides, breakfast is ready and you shouldn't keep Kono waiting. You know how cranky she gets."

"Uh, in a second," Steve muttered. Nature really was calling and all he had done since he had been in there was stare at the crazy man in the mirror.

After splashing water on his face, he turned to unlock the door. With his hand on the door knob, he leaned his forehead against the door frame, trying to gather the courage to open it. He felt like a prisoner in his own house, not knowing what he would find on the other side of that door. Finally he turned the knob and opened the door.

He walked into the study, panicking upon hearing them laughing out on the lanai. _Probably laughing at me. __Maybe I can get upstairs._

"Hey, Boss," Kono said, coming back inside. She came over to him and gave him a one-armed hug, her other hand holding a spatula. "You look better than you did the last time I saw you. Come on out, I made banana pancakes."

"Yeah, uh, thanks, but..."

She reached for his hand and smiled at him, giving him no option but to follow. The table on the lanai was set for four and Chin greeted him with a slap on his arm when Kono tugged on his arm for him to sit.

"Hey, Brah, lookin' good," Chin said, smiling at him.

"Thanks." He sat down, staring at the table.

"OK, sit," Kono ordered Chin and Danny, waving the spatula at them. "Boss, hope you don't mind but you had some fruit in there that was ready to go bad, so I used it for smoothies," she told him, pouring a glass from the blender pitcher. She handed it to him, and then poured another for Chin. "There's strawberries, a mango, a couple of bananas and pineapple in here."

"So, it's strawmananappleberry?" Danny asked.

She laughed. "I suppose it is. Want some, Danny?"

"Thank you very much, but I believe I'll stick with coffee with my pancakes.

"Your loss," Chin told him. "Hey, I made our family's famous banana syrup to go with Kono's pancakes."

"And Auntie's syrup _**is**_ famous," Kono added. "Everyone wants the recipe."

"OK, guys, I hate to tell you, but syrup is a flavor called 'maple', not banana. And I have a famous aunt who makes syrup, too," Danny told them. "Her name is Aunt Jemima and no one makes it any better."

"Danny, live a little. Try something from the islands for a change," Chin urged.

"Why? My food is fine just the way it is."

"Whatever," Chin told him, cutting a glance to Steve who was staring at the plate of pancakes, a stricken look on his face.

Danny saw the look as well. "Hey, Steve, you OK? Can't believe you haven't tried your mananafanana concoction that Kono made."

Steve glanced up and quickly looked at all three of them before lowering his eyes once again. "You don't have to do this," he finally whispered.

"Do what?" Kono asked.

"This." He pointed at the table. "Be here. You don't have to. It's OK for you to go."

"Steve, we wouldn't be here if we didn't want to be," Chin replied.

Steve let out a harsh chuckle. "Yeah, right. Guys, you can stop pretending. I know what I did. What I said. And… after I have time to try and figure it out, maybe we can work out some sort of working relationship. At least, I hope so. But if you'd rather I go, I will. No questions asked."

Danny stood and tossed his napkin onto the table. "Steven, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I want… please know that I don't know why I said those things. I know it isn't much, but I'm sorry." He pushed back his chair. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm not very hungry."

Before he could stand, Danny's hand felt like a vice grip on his shoulder. "You're not going anywhere just yet," he warned. "We are going to talk. Right after I eat my pancake. Now drink up that stuff."

Danny slowly removed his hand and sat back down after ensuring Steve wouldn't bolt. "I called the hospital this morning and talked to a nice nurse named Betty. Seems she was pretty surprised and upset that you left last night, so when Dr. Makani called and told them about his baby, a girl by the way, she asked him about you. From what I understand, you were a bit _**confused** _about what transpired in your last conversation with him."

Steve grimaced at the news, but remained seated, once again staring at the table instead of looking at his friends. The fingers of his right hand fidgeted with the fork, and Danny noticed his partner's left leg bouncing with pent-up energy, just begging to be let free to run.

Danny took a bite of pancake and chewed. "OK, banana pancakes are pretty good, I'll give you that."

"And the syrup?" Chin asked.

"The banana stuff-that's-not-syrup on top is pretty good, too. Kudos to your mother, Chin."

After another couple of bites, he pointed his fork at his partner. "Now, Steven, as I was saying, Betty explained to me, and these are her words, 'your brain is still very fragile and it will probably be a couple of days before you are back to your normal self'. She said that while you are probably feeling much better, your body hasn't replenished your fluid and your brain hasn't had time to heal. And another quote from the nurse, 'You shouldn't try to make any decisions or do anything strenuous during this time period'. In other words, because of the leak, your brain still isn't functioning normally. And let's face it, part of it probably leaked out."

"Oh, Danny, it did not!" Kono told him.

"You can't prove it. And Betty also mentioned that stupid stunts like weaseling your way out of the hospital while thinking that you are just fine, is right up there on the list of things that shouldn't be done. Therefore, we are going to have this little talk."

Steve wanted to defend his actions, but suddenly didn't know what to say. He finally reached out his hand, picked up his glass and managed to get it to his mouth without spilling any of the smoothie along the way. After a couple of sips, he set it down and glanced at Kono who was watching him for his reaction. He gave her a tentative smile and told her, "It's good."

She smiled at him and held his gaze. He finally broke eye contact and blurted out, "Kono, I am so sorry." He put his elbows on the table and dropped his head onto his palms. "What I said was unforgiveable and I'm sorry. I wish I could change it. I don't know why—"

"Hey! Stop it, Steve. Dr. Makani and Malia explained to us what had happened to you. We understand. And you are not to blame."

"That's not true," he argued. "I said things that a person shouldn't have said to _**any**_one, and I said them to my best friends. I wish I did have an excuse."

"Steve, you don't _**need**_ an excuse," Chin pointed out. "You have a reason. Your brain was very damaged at the time—"

"Ain't it always," Danny put in, earning him glances from all three of them. "Hey, I call it like I see it," he replied with a grin. "Steve, listen to us. You don't need to apologize. In fact, we… ***I*** need to apologize to you. I'm your partner—"

"Danny stop. Don't you dare try to apologize."

"Hush, Steven and listen to me. I'm your partner, and when you started acting kind of squirrelly, I should have known something was up right away."

"We all should have," Chin added.

"But when you started saying those things, I got mad instead of concerned. Had we acted sooner, maybe you wouldn't have had to go through all this," Danny ended.

"We weren't very good friends, Boss," Kono added quietly.

"You had no reason to be friendly after what I said to you," Steve said once again.

"And we said that you need to stop talking like that," Chin reminded him once again. "We all know you didn't mean the things you said. We're just glad you are all right. And there are no after-effects from Friday, so all is good."

A look of horror came across Steve's face and he once again dropped his head into his hands and groaned. "I just remembered the guy in the daycare. I can't believe I did that. Are you sure everything is OK?"

"Well," Chin answered with a grin. "IA began nosing around HPD and they asked Duke what he thought about all of it. Duke gave them a mouth full and told them to back off. And apparently the governor said the same thing. It seems one of his aide's little girl was in the room. While the governor said that the two of you are going to have a talk—"

"Great." Steve made a face at that news.

"—he said he felt the situation was handled to the best of our ability, given the time frame and the unstableness of the perp."

"So… I still have a job?"

"Yes, of course," Chin told him with an emphatic nod.

"And…" he paused once again. "You guys won't have trouble working with me?"

"Steven, is that fluid stuck in your ears?" Danny asked with a wave of his hands. "To use your favorite word, we're _**fine**_. You're fine. We're _**all**_ fine."

Steve looked at them once again and gave a hesitant, slight grin. "Then… fine."

Chin set down his napkin and finished his smoothie. "Well, some of us aren't on sick leave and should probably get to work," he reminded them.

"What day is this?" Steve asked, reaching up to rub his forehead. "I can't keep track."

"Monday," Chin told him. "Nothing going on as yet, so that's good."

"I'll be in later after I get a shower-"

"Oh, I so don't think so," Danny quickly told him with a chuckle. "Nice try, though. When I talked to Betty this morning, I was given strict instructions… _**per Dr. Makani**_, that for the next 48 hours, you are to only be up for meal and bathroom breaks. The rest of the time, you will either be in bed or relaxing elsewhere. Horizontally."

"The doctor last night said 24 hours," Steve protested. "Danny, I'm not—"

"Oh, but, Steven I gave the nice lady my solemn word that you _**would**_, therefore, you will. And I'm going to hang around to ensure that you do."

Steve rolled his eyes.

"Don't give me that attitude, McGarrett." Danny used the tone he occasionally had to use on his daughter.

"What?" And Steve's reply mimicked the look and tone of Grace in the same situation.

"I saw that look. Now, if you aren't going to eat, it is time for you to go to bed. And that should be upstairs, in the bedroom, not laying around on the lanai. Understand?"

"I'm eating."

Steve reached for the bowl of syrup and spooned some on his now cold pancakes.

"Want me to warm them?" Kono asked.

He put a forkful in his mouth and replied, "Nope." His eyes widened in surprise and he forked up another bite. "This is good!"

Kono came around behind him and hugged him. "And you better not forget it, McGarrett. Welcome back, Boss. We missed you… the real you, that is."

He grasped her wrist with the hand not holding the fork and squeezed it. "Yeah, it's good to be back," he admitted.

"Tick, tock, McGarrett. You're procrastinating."

"Danny, after I finish eating, I'll go upstairs. But I'm going to take a hot shower and working the kinks out of my neck before I think about lying back down."

Kono placed her hands on his shoulders. "Your neck hurt, Boss?"

He shoveled in another forkful of pancake and nodded. "My neck feels sore from the needle, I guess, but my shoulders are really stiff. But this feeling is _**so**_ much better than that headache…"

Kono began using her thumbs and careful of the bandage, started massaging both sides of his neck, her thumbs moving in circles over his muscles.

"Mmm, oh!" Steve dropped his fork. "That feels good. Right there." He let her move outward on both shoulders, accepting her ministrations. After a minute or so of 'pampering', he looked at Chin and winked, then said with a crooked grin, "_**Now**_ I remember why I hired you."

Her hands stilled and then she slowly circled them around his neck, not tightly, but enough that he could feel the pressure.

"Not funny at all!"

"It was a little bit funny," he told her.

She moved from behind his chair so she could look him in the eyes. "I would hate to have to hurt you while you're down, Brah, so you might want to think before you speak."

"Yes, ma'am."

"OK, Kono, we need to get to work and see what Monday has in store for us," Chin told her.

"Call me if you get a case," Danny said. "I'll tie him to the bed and meet you."

"We can both come," Steve amended.

"No, Steven, we can't. If my memory serves me correctly, we have already discussed your plans for today. And tomorrow, I might add."

"Danny, I'm not going to stay in bed for two days."

"The nurse said 'horizontal', Steve." He mimicked 'sideways' with his hands. "It means 'this way'."

"I know what it means," Steve said testily, pushing back his chair and standing.

"Tell you what," Danny decided. "If you behave for the next couple of days, I'll spring for dinner tomorrow night. We can fire up the grill and have a cook out. But no funny business, McGarrett. You have to stay put and do nothing."

"A cook out sounds good," Chin agreed. "Malia's got this great new dessert she made the other night..."

Steve stood there, listening to them laughing and planning, and realized how much he would have missed this.

Kono picked up a couple of plates and said, "Hey, Danny, I'm leaving the dishes for you."

"Gee, thanks."

"Well, we cooked. You can clean." She started to go into the house when Steve called her back.

"Hey, Kono, wait up."

She turned around. "Yeah, Boss?"

"I-uh, I know you guys said to shut up about it, but… thanks. It, well, It means a lot to have friends like you."

Chin held out his hand to shake Steve's, then pulled him into a one-armed hug. "You, too, Brah. Don't drive Danny too crazy today. Leave him a few brain cells."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Get out of here," Danny ordered. "Call me. See you later."

_**OK, we're going to wind this down on Thursday with the final chapter! Again, thank you for all your support and comments in this!**_

_**~~~H50~~~**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**OK, this is the finale. Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, complimented, etc. this story. Your reviews really make me strive to try and be more creative. I have to say, I've been in a panic all morning long. I'm on vacation this week playing Nana and loving every minute of it. But I uploaded the last two chapters of this last week from work and when I got ready this morning to send Chapter 11 to the site, I had two chapter 10's... and NO 11. Was in a total panic, so had to dig this out of an email and sort of recreate it.**_

_**Again, thanks to sockie1000 and sym64 for being the most patient beta's out there. I can't begin to tell you how many times this has been passed back and forth. If there are mistakes, I assure you they are mine alone because these ladies went above and beyond their call of duty.**_

_**So, until next time... Mahalo!**_

_**~~~H50~~~**_

'_**E ha**_

_**Chapter 11**_

Danny Williams was a happy man. Well, maybe 'happy' wasn't the correct word. Happy would be living in Jersey, which would give him beautiful seasons, a winter that was so cold it sucked your breath away, and the best food imaginable, which was called his mom's home cooking. But Danny was pleased with himself. Early yesterday morning, after making sure his wayward and not-so-bright partner was in bed and fast asleep, Danny had made a couple of phone calls.

And had managed to do his good deed for the week, thank-you-very-much. If possible, he would have patted himself on the back.

Yes, he was almost gloating as he drove the Camaro filled with grocery bags down Steve's driveway. He got out and opened the back seat and removed the bags. Danny began to grumble again about his lack of trunk space as he remembered trying to fit the groceries in there. Not a chance. What did fit was Steve's huge black duffel bag filled with things he didn't want to know about.

But he decided the food was better off if it wasn't stored next to Steve's stock of grenades, C-4, rocket launchers and God knows what else, so in the back seat it went.

He grabbed several bags and walked toward the house, thinking that something looked out of place in the front yard. Walking through the house, he called up the stairs. "Yo, Steven, I'm back."

He received no reply, but remembered Steve said he was going to take a shower. Danny was amazed that in the last 48 hours, he and his stubborn partner had managed to not kill each other. Danny had been adamant that Steve rest, as per the doctor's orders. Steve, on the other hand, was determined to be up and about, sneaking out of the house at every opportunity. Several times, Danny had placed him in what he called "time out" when he caught him outside. Danny would bring Steve a bottle of water and they would sit either on the lanai or on the beach and veg out. Danny had learned that after these periods, Steve was much more relaxed and willing to "cooperate". One thing he learned early on was that Steve couldn't stand being inside four walls for any long period of time!

He set the bags on the counter and went back outside for the remainder of the bags. He waited at the car while watching as Chin and Malia parked next to him.

Chin opened his car door and waved. "Hey, Brah, where's Steve?"

"He's up—" Danny then realized why something looked out of place. It was actually that something was not _**in**_ its place. The Silverado was missing. Which meant that (a) it had been stolen or (b) Steve had driven off in it.

And he doubted he would need to report the theft.

"That… imbecile!" Danny said, waving both arms in the air. "Malia, should he be driving?"

"Has he had any headaches, dizziness or blackouts since he's been home?" she asked.

"Well, no, but he hasn't been cleared by the doctors yet."

"Did he call or leave you a note?" Chin asked, grabbing a couple of bags and walking toward the house.

Danny checked his phone, then grumbled, "Didn't see a note, but I wasn't really looking."

They set down the remaining bags on the counter and glanced around the kitchen, Malia reaching for a piece of paper on the center island when she set down her dessert dish. "Here you go." She passed the note to Danny.

"Had to run an errand. Hope we have plenty of food. I invited some neighbors over. Oh… and hope you don't mind, but I'm bringing a date. S."

"He's bringing a date?" Danny yelped. "He can't bring a date."

"Why not, Danny. It's his house," Chin pointed out while unbagging the groceries.

"Because *I* already invited a date for him," Danny explained. "I called Catherine and she was able to get leave to come home for the week. In fact, she should be here any minute. He doesn't need another date. Why would he want another date? He _**can't**_ have another date… or I'm toast." Danny pulled out his phone and hit speed dial for Steve, then waited patiently until his partner answered.

"McGarrett."

"Where are you, you Moron?"

"Running an errand. I left you a note."

"What part of 'rest' for 48 hours is difficult for you, Steven? You shouldn't be driving."

"I'm fine. Besides, I even read the doctor's notes and there is _**no**_ mention of 'no driving'."

"That's because it is an unwritten rule," Danny yelled. "Now what's going on?"

"Nothing, _**Mother**_. I had an errand to run and I'm picking up a friend for dinner tonight. Hope you got enough food."

"What kind of friend?"

"Geez, Danno, what part of 'I left you a note' do you not understand. I'm bringing a date. You know… a girl date."

"Oh, yeah, does Catherine know about this 'girl date'? Huh?"

Steve hesitated before replying, "Catherine isn't here. And she isn't the only lady friend I have, just so you know. Besides, just for the record, Catherine doesn't need to know my dating habits when she is out of town."

"Ah! There it is. You are sneaking behind Catherine's back. Now, tell me, does _**this**_ lady friend know about Catherine?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, she does, Danny. Now if we're finished playing twenty questions, I'll see you in a little while. Or do you want to gripe about something else?"

"It will wait, Steven."

"Can hardly wait," Steve muttered, hanging up the phone.

"OK, I am toast," Danny decided while Kono entered the room, carrying a huge bowl of salad.

"What's the problem, Brah?" she asked. "Where's Steve? Didn't see his truck."

"That's because he is out… picking up his date," Danny replied.

"Cool. I didn't know Catherine was in town."

"Neither does Steve," Chin replied with a grin. "He has a date with someone else."

Malia added, "And Catherine is showing up in a few minutes… compliments of Danny."

"Uh oh," Kono mumbled when they heard the front door open. She walked into the study and said, "Hey, Catherine. Come on in. Steve's not here yet…"

"Is he OK?" Catherine asked, entering the kitchen. "Didn't see the truck."

"Yeah, about that," Danny began. "He's-uh, he's…"

Chin read a text on his phone before putting it back into his pocket. "He's running an errand," Chin supplied quickly. "He should be here soon. Now, let's all pitch in and get this dinner started."

"Who else is coming?" Catherine asked.

"Max, if he decides he's speaking to Steve," Kono told her. "It seems Steve sort of tricked him into picking him up at the hospital the other night."

"He does have a way of charming people to get his way," she replied.

"Including the female doctor he hoodwinked into letting him out of the hospital," Malia added.

"Oh, why does that not surprise me?" Catherine asked with a laugh.

Chin and Danny left to start the grill, so they would be ready to put the steaks on when Steve returned. "What gives, Chin? I need to tell her Steve is bringing someone else. She's going to kill someone… hopefully not me."

"I think you should just let Steve handle it in his own way," Chin replied, ever the sensible one. "Let him talk his own way out of it."

"Well, you do have a point there…" Danny agreed. "Think we should have EMS on standby?"

~~~H50~~~

Steve parked his truck near the end of the drive since the place looked like a parking lot. He walked around the cab and opened the passenger door, smiling at his 'lady' friend. He held out his hand to help her down and steadied her when she reached the ground.

She fingered the purple lei around her neck. "Thank you for the flowers," she told him. "I love them."

"You're welcome," he replied, taking her hand in his. "Looks like the gang is all here," he told her as they walked up the drive. He stopped in his tracks upon seeing Catherine's car.

"What's wrong?" she asked when she walked a couple steps and he was standing there in the drive.

"Well," he began, making a face. "That car belongs to Catherine… you know, my uh, girlfriend. I didn't know she was in town, so I invited you to join me tonight. Things might get awkward." He shrugged and grinned while they walked the rest of the way to the house where he held open the door for her.

"Thank you," she told him. He went before her toward the kitchen and found the three women setting out food along the counter and the island.

"Hi, guys," he said, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest.

Catherine set down the dish she was carrying and went to stand in front of him. "Hello, Commander," she smiled up at him. "Surprise."

"Surprise is right." Steve accepted her hug and gave her a quick kiss. "For both of us. Cath, I didn't know you were in town, so I invited someone else as my date tonight." He reached around behind him for Grace's hand and tugged her in front of him. "Meet my date, Grace."

"It's OK, Catherine, you can have him," Grace told her with a grin.

"No, he invited you, I certainly don't want to intrude," Catherine replied, giving her a hug. "But I warn you, after tonight, we'll have to fight each other for him."

"Hold that thought," Steve said, still grinning. "Where's Danny?"

"Out on the lanai. He and Chin are beginning the steaks."

He grinned at his 'girlfriends'. "Wait here."

He moved to the door opening onto the lanai and stepped out. "Danny, I think we need to talk. There's a cat fight going on in my kitchen. Do you not think I'm capable of taking care of my own social life?"

Danny whipped around from his duty at the grill. "Steve."

"Did you by any chance, contact Catherine behind my back?"

"I let Catherine know you had been injured," Danny replied. "I felt she needed to know."

"And she is here… along with my date. Can we say 'awkward'."

"Ah, yeah, about that," Danny began. "I thought you two were pretty exclusive. Sorry, I didn't know you had anyone else. Um, where _**is**_ your date?"

"Oh, she's in the house 'talking' with Catherine. I have you to thank for that. But you two might as well come in and we'll get this over with."

Chin slapped Danny on the back and pushed him toward the house. "Come on, Brah. Let's watch the fireworks."

When they reached the kitchen, they found Steve with his two 'dates' on either side of him, his arms around them both, a wide grin on his face.

Danny was dumbfounded when he saw his daughter. "Gracie?"

"Hi, Danno. Mom said you would probably have a cow, but she let me go on a date with Uncle Steve."

Danny crossed his arms. "Steven. You led me to believe you had a date tonight."

"I do have a date. This is my good friend, Grace." He met Danny's eyes. "Someone who I enjoy being with. I just wanted you to know that."

Danny smiled and held out his arms toward his daughter. "Well, if she is so special, I think she needs to give me a hug." She met him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Hey, Monkey," he grinned down at her. "I love you." He looked at Steve and gave a quick nod.

Apology offered. Apology accepted.

"But…" Danny pulled away from Grace and pointed his finger in his partner's chest. "You had _**no**_ business driving around town with my daughter in the car. What were you thinking…"

Steve and Grace both laughed. "What'd I tell you," Steve grinned at her. "Didn't I say he would start yelling?"

"Steven, you shouldn't be driving. And my daughter has no business being in the car with you. What was Rachel thinking?"

"OK, Grace, tell him how far I drove."

"Danno, Mommy dropped me off at the end of the street. Uncle Steve met me there. We only drove on this street."

"Ah." Danny couldn't think of anything else to say, but then caught a second wind. "But what about the errand you had to run? What was that all about?"

Steve touched the lei around Grace's neck. "I thought she needed flowers. Being it is our first date and all." He grinned down at her.

"Hey, now," Catherine chimed in. "_**I**_ didn't get flowers on _**our**_ first date."

"You were in uniform," Steve told her with a wicked grin, causing them both to blush. "And if I remember correctly, you didn't get dinner either."

Danny put his hands over Grace's ears. "Monkey, you don't need to hear anything else about this conversation. Why don't you go on outside."

Steve placed his arm around Catherine's waist and pulled her close to him. "Hey, Grace, Caroline is waiting for you to come get her, so if it's OK with Danno, run tell the Hus' everyone is here."

"OK, Uncle Steve. I'll go. See you, Danno."

"Hope you don't mind, but I invited the neighbors." Steve told them as they all went out onto the lanai where Chin was turning steaks.

"Steaks are just about ready," he told them. "Those two are well done, here comes the medium and I'm just putting the rare ones on right now."

"Rest of the food is ready to eat in the kitchen," Malia told them, moving to Chin's side.

"Then let's eat," Danny told them.

"In a second," Steve said, looking at each person in the group surrounding him. "Just…"

"Oh no, no, no McGarrett," Danny said. "No more speeches."

"… no speech. Just… mahalo. To everyone. Now, let's eat."

Catherine stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss. "That's what I like, a man of few words…"

"And a lot of action?" he asked, a twinkle in his eyes.

"_**After**_ I get dinner. This may even be a first."

~~~H50~~~


End file.
